The Prison of the Heart
by Queen Assassin
Summary: Jason Todd, also known as the Red Hood, makes an uncanny ally in Harley Quinn after she leaves The Joker to rot in Arkham. Will Jason be able to keep his distance from Harley emotionally to be able to follow through with his scheme to catch The Joker, or will he turn his back on his mentor & brothers & give up his plot for revenge to fall for the maniacal Harley?
1. Prologue

Prologue

The sirens cried, the lights flashed bright red. Arkham Asylum was in complete lockdown. Guards were running all over the place, trying to find order in the chaos. Oh, Commissioner Gordon was not going to be happy. Not only were all of the jail cells unlocked, but many of the city's top criminals escaped. Except Joker. Thank God Joker had still been locked away. There was movement outside of his cell.

"Pumpkin?" He cooed, stepping up to the barred window in his cell to peek through. The figure was just a silhouette, but one he'd know anywhere. That hourglass figure, with two pigtails high on either side of the feminine head, he'd bruised, beaten & pulverized that body so many times. "I knew you wouldn't forget about your Mr. J. Hurry up & spring me, before my palm starts to itch."

There was silence for a few tense seconds, before Harley Quinn stepped into the shaft of light out front of Joker's cell door. She looked so pretty, her blonde hair pulled up into those pigtails, her face painted white with deep red lips that curled into a matching, twisted grin like his very own, her bright blue eyes looking at him, right at him, in the dim light under the black mask that concealed absolutely nothing. She just loved that mask.

"I ain't here for you, Mistah J." She answered, stepping forward to wrap her gloved fingers around the bars of his cell.

"..Pumpkin?" Joker said with a nervous laugh. "Come on, now, let's not do this tonight. Spring me & we can deal with this at home."

"We're not dealin' with this at home. I'm not goin' home. I'm goin' somewhere else. Somewhere you won't be able to find me."

"Harley…" Joker said testily as his hand shot out between the bars. Harley fell back just in time for his skeletal fingers to curl in the air right in front of her throat.

"Goodbye, Mistah J..." She sighed as her head canted to the side a bit. She frowned, causing the red painted lips to look twisted, even more so than originally intended upon. She took that final step backwards so that she could turn, symbolic as her back showed to Joker, to escape the maximum security mental facility to the sounds of Jokers screams, howls of laughter & angry yells.

She wouldn't be his pawn anymore, she couldn't do it. Physically, mentally, she was done. She couldn't look back over her shoulder before she launched herself up to grasp onto a sturdy low hanging bar so that she could neatly flip herself up into an air duct.

& that was it. Just like that, she had rid herself of the shackles Joker had tied her in. She was a free woman, to do as she pleased, to not wince in a corner whenever he was in a bad mood. No longer did she have to play his sick games on her heart, or bear the torture he placed on her soul.

She was finally freed.


	2. Charity Case

**_Chapter One - Charity Case_**

But being on her own might have been the hardest thing Harley Quinn had ever dealt with. It had been months since she had last seen Joker, glaring at her from inside of that cell deep within Arkham Asylum. He haunted her at night, caused her dreams to be laced with cyanide & heartache. Regret sometimes caught up with her, that nagging feeling deep in her gut. How many times had she suited up in her new Harley Quinn outfit to go & free him from Arkham? Too many to count, he was like a drug & she was having a hard time kicking it cold turkey.

But she needed to get out. It had been days since her last heist. It was hard, finding those who were still sympathetic to her cause, goons of the Jokers who had taken her side. There wasn't a lot, but it was enough to get a few bank robberies done, knock over a few jewelry stores. She needed to do jobs to keep herself alive. It wasn't like anyone was going to hire Harleen Quinzel anymore.

So she donned her new suit. She knew Joker didn't like anyone looking at what he considered to be his, so her new outfit showed off more skin than what was completely necessary. Thick soled platform boots came up to her knees over the skin tight dual-toned leather pants that stretched over her thick thighs & hips as if the seams were about to burst. Her toned stomach was all shown off under the low cut leather dual-toned corset that pushed up her small, but full breasts. Her arms were covered by dual-toned gloves. The whole outfit was done in black & red, with her trademark red diamonds on the right side of her hip on the black leather. The final touch was her white face paint with no real accent on her lips except red lipstick that was done with her natural lips, & her black mask. She brushed her long blonde hair up into pig tails before she stepped back from the mirror with a soft sigh.

It was so hard getting the energy to get up & out anymore. She was really taking the whole leaving Joker thing badly. But it was better for her; it was the right thing for her. She couldn't be with him anymore, she knew that. Hell, everyone knew that. You didn't have to be the world's greatest detective to know that Joker was no good for Harley. That didn't make the pain she felt disappear, nor did it take the love she still felt for him away.

With a sigh, she stepped out into the living room of the small studio apartment she had been using as a hideout & bid farewell to the only things keeping her going anymore, her hyenas Bud & Lou, before she stepped out into the night to find her goons.

..::*::..

The job was easy, a little charity banquet, a nice big box filled with money from Gotham's top citizens. The likes of Bruce Wayne, Commissioner Gordon & his broken, twisted little daughter, Barbara, & the Wayne boys, of course. All four of them, surprisingly, from Dick down to Damian.

Harley didn't seem to notice, or care maybe, as her goons blew a hole in the entrance way so that she didn't have to open a door herself, that Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne had both instantly gone missing at the first sign of trouble. The rest of the guests looked around confused & struck by horror.

"Alright, ya all know the drill. So start handin' them goods over. Boys?" Harley said with a grin as she strolled into the room, looking around at the terrified faces. It thrilled her deep down inside to see the looks on their faces as she stepped inside, running the show completely. That was until she felt a black boot strike down on the back of her head, just as she had reached out to grab a big box filled with money.

Harley gave a surprised yelp as she fell forward onto the box, sprawling out a bit while the proverbial stars danced before her vision. She blinked & shook her head a bit, before she turned to see Batman standing there in all his glory, with a fist aiming right for her face. She quickly rolled to the side & got her boot up in time to kick him right in the chest, sending him stumbling back with a grunt.

"You know this won't end well, Harley," Batman said in his rumbled, grizzled voice that seemed to make all the panties in the room melt instantly. Even Harley had a few masochistic fantasies that played out to the tune of that voice.

"Oh, come on Bats, girl's got to make a livin'." She grinned before she pounced forward to wrap her thick thighs up around his chest. It was effective, Batman stumbled backwards under the sudden weight of Harley & fell backwards as his hands lifted up to grab at her waist. She pulled her hand back to strike out at Batman with a well-placed punch to his exposed jaw, before he lifted her completely off of him, & she was knocked to the side by a heavy force of a sideways tackle.

"Oof!" Harley cried out as the air quickly left her lungs as she struck the floor under the thick body of the Red Hood. "I've got this, Red Hood," Batman rumbled in his way as he reached down to pull him off of the fallen Harley. "No, I've got her," Red Hood replied before he moved to take down the struggling Harley again. But Batman had him by the collar of his leather jacket, & wasn't letting go.

"Boys!" Harley shouted loudly, & the chaos erupted as she grabbed the box of cash & took off while Batman & Red Hood began fighting each other instead of focusing on the fleeing Harley. "You guys might want to figure that whole thing out. Not good for business, ya know!" Harley chirped happily as she gave a wave.

Batman & Red Hood seemed to glare at each other from under their assorted headgear, before they both started to rush for Harley. But Harley pulled out a flash bomb from under the skin tight fabric of her black & red leather pants & threw it heavily to the ground, causing both Batman & Red Hood to stumble back & shield their eyes. Once the smoke finally filtered from the room, however, Harley & her goons were gone.

..::*::..

Harley wasn't used to a getaway that didn't involve a chase, so she stuck behind after sending her goons along back to her hideout with all the money, gems & goods that had been lifted from the charity event from Gotham's prime. She pulled herself up onto a ledge that overlooked the smoked out, blown up entrance & waited, finally seeing Batman & Red Hood charging out of the building.

They both stopped in the middle of the street, Red Hood looking down one way, Batman the other. "They went this way," she heard Batman instantly, & correctly, deduce the way her goons had taken off to, but she could hear Red Hood arguing back. "No, they went this way."

"You're in over your head. I'll take it from here." When Batman spoke, a chill went up Harley's spine from her concealed location, looking down at the two heroes who were searching just for her. Finally, Robin came out of the building behind Red Hood & Batman, stopping short just before almost colliding into Red Hood, his hands instantly going to rest at his hips in fists.

"What are we doing?" He asked, rolling his whited out eyes from his mask from left to right. "You go whatever way you want, I'm going to go catch Harley," Jason huffed before he straddled a nearby motorcycle & took off. "Follow him," Batman commanded, before he hit a button on his utility belt. A few seconds later, the Batmobile roared up & stopped, the roof instantly sliding open for Batman to get in. Robin looked lost for a second as he watched his mentor get into the Batmobile, before he took off on foot in the direction Red Hood had gone.

It had been wonderful for Harley to watch the Batman & the former Robin arguing over who would follow after Harley, who had been right in going in the right direction. It had added enough of a distraction to ensure that her goons had had enough time to get away, & into the safety of the new lair. Harley jumped down off the ledge she had been hiding on & calmly walked down an alleyway, back towards her hideout where her goons & money were waiting.


	3. Struggle for Control

**_Chapter Two - Struggle for Control_**

He had her, he knew he did. He pushed the throttle of the gas on the red & black motorcycle harder as his eyes peered out of his red helmet, night vision locked on to try to find just where Harley had gone. His search had taken him all around the city of Gotham, until finally; he spotted her in an alleyway, stooping down low to tie one of the laces on her red platform boot. The motorcycle gave a cry of protest as Red Hood leapt from the seat to land into the mouth of the alleyway.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked as nearby, his motorcycle finally crashed sideways into a building. Harley's head snapped up as she looked up in shock, seeing Red Hood standing there.

"How did ya get here, when I heard ya & B-Man arguin' back there?" She asked confused as her hand pointed behind her.

"I knew where you went all along," he answered, stepping towards her slowly. She had that look of flight or fight on her face; he could almost taste her fear at being caught. & she was so very close to home, too. "You need to be locked up, Harley." His leather boot clad feet finally brought him to stand in front of her, his helmet tilting down menacingly as he looked at her.

"Ya can't make me go back there, I've been good! Sorta…" Harley answered desperately as she looked up into the empty eyes his hood made. "Please, don't make me go back there. I can't… I can't stand hearin' him anymore."

"That's not your decision," he grinned behind his mask as his hand shot out to grip her arm, just as she flipped herself backwards. She had anticipated the attack. Her boot caught him under his helmet & knocked it up his face a bit, rendering him unable to see. Once she landed on her feet again & saw him reaching for his helmet quickly to fix it, her boot lashed out again, causing him to stumble backwards.

He fell right onto the concrete of the alleyway on his backside, causing the mask to shake loose & roll to the side. Harley took a sharp inhale of breath as she looked over the features of Jason Todd. "You?!" She howled with a cackling laughter, doubling over as she mocked him.

"Shut up," Jason growled as he jumped to his feet & used his sudden movement to grab at Harley. He shoved her back into the wall of the building to her side, pressing his front to hers. "You have to pay for your crimes," he added gruffly as his thigh pressed between hers. She gasped, looking up at him as he twisted her arms back & over her head. But it was her legs that were the dangerous parts of her anatomy. His thighs locked down around one of them, his one foot twisting back around her ankle to leg lock her so she couldn't thrash out at him.

"This is cozy & all, Jay, but I gotta ask. What are ya gonna do now?" Harley asked with a smirk, looking up at him as he looked to the side where his helmet laid, where his communication with Batman was.

He cursed under his breath, putting more of his weight forward on her. "If we have to stay like this all night until someone finds us, we will," Jason answered her, looking back down at the side of her face.

"Sounds like a plan. So tell me, Birdie Boy, what makes ya tick?" Harley asked, her intent to annoy him was obvious just in the way she asked. She didn't try to struggle against him, he had her strengths locked in his leg & she would be stuck like this until he eased up.

"Shut up," he answered her with a huff as his eyes closed & he leaned forward to press his forehead to the cool surface of the concrete he had Harley pushed up against. He could see her looking up at him when he opened his eyes, could see the way she looked at him. What was really starting to get to him was the warmth he felt between her legs, the way her body gave way under his, & the way if he looked down, he could see the small mounds of flesh that made up her breasts inside her corset. He cursed silently under his breath as she wiggled her hips slightly.

She felt the pressure building along the thigh he had wrapped in his legs, causing her to lift one of her eyebrows as she looked up at him. "Are you…"

"Yes, shut up," he responded in a growl, but only heard her cackle in response. He growled again & rolled his blue eyes, pressing his body against hers even tighter. It had been so long since he had felt a woman's body like this; it was only natural that he respond this way. To be mocked by Harley Quinn had driven him over the edge.

He let one of his hands fall from her wrists as he grabbed her chin & tilted her head back to look up at him. All the laughter died from her throat, but he could see it echoing around in her bright, clear blue eyes. He could feel her heart beating heavily in her chest, so tightly pressed against his. & he could feel against his thigh that she was growing hotter between her legs.

"You like this kind of shit, don't you? I forgot, the Jokers fuck puppet," he growled to her softly, seeing her cheeks redden under the white face paint. "That's right, you like to be hurt, punched, beaten, smacked around," Jason laughed down at her, but the mirth didn't reach his eyes. His eyes remained serious, causing Harley's hips to squirm even more, as if she really wanted to get away. He could tell she didn't. He could tell she wanted him, by the way her tongue rolled across her lower lip, & how her hips wiggled, but pressed down into his thigh as well. The way her heart raced the closer he dropped his lips towards hers. He was in complete control over this, & he knew it.

"Jason… what are you doing with Harley?" A voice from the mouth of the alleyway came suddenly, shocking both Harley & Jason. Jason lurched backwards at the sudden appearance of Robin, which gave Harley enough time to shove him backwards farther to stumble back against the wall while she jumped up to grab the lowest rung of the fire escapes ladder above her so she could pull herself up. Before Robin or Jason knew it, Harley had breached the top of the building & had disappeared into the night.

..::*::..

"I had her, & Damian let her get away!" Jason's gloved fist pounded on the desk between himself & Bruce Wayne, who didn't look frazzled or even shocked. He remained cool & collected, looking up at Jason Todd as he sat calmly in his chair, his fingers steeped as he listened.

"That's not how I found them," Damian responded from the corner of the room behind Jason, who responded in a low growl that was thrown over his shoulder.

"Jason, enough," Bruce said, trying to defuse the situation. "Damian, why don't you head to bed? It's getting early." Damian huffed, but moved out of Bruce's large home office. "Jason, Damian said you were getting… intimate with Harley. You know how dangerous that is. It's only a matter of time—"

"Before she & Joker get back together, I know," Jason rolled his eyes. "It wasn't like that, at all."

"Then why weren't you wearing your helmet?" Bruce countered as he stood up, moving around the desk towards Jason.

"I told you, she knocked it off! Look, I'm going to find her. & I'm going to kill her if I have to," Jason retorted, following Bruce with his eyes before he pulled away from the desk & moved towards the large doors. "I don't answer to you anymore, Bruce. Remember that. You didn't have it in you to save me, so don't think I'm returning the favor. I want Joker, dead. & if I have to use her to get it, then I will."

Jason Todd slammed the door of the office behind him closed, causing Bruce Wayne to scowl.

..::*::..

Harley had finally made it back home, after checking, double checking & triple checking to make sure she hadn't been followed by Batman, Jason Todd or Robin. Satisfied that she was not being followed, she climbed in through an opened window & stood up straight, looking around her apartment. It was quiet, even the hyenas didn't rush to meet her.

She moved to flick on a light switch, only to find that the lights weren't working. She scowled, looking around the room she was in, before she felt something hit the back of her head, causing her to sprawl forward to land on the bed.

"Miss me?" She heard a voice, his voice, cackling at her. "Oh, Harley Harley Harley, what am I going to do with my Harls?" She felt the light weight of Joker's body press on top of her back, his hips pushing painfully against her backside. "Leave me to rot inside Arkham; did you think I'd stay in there?" She heard him laugh as she started to struggle underneath of him.

She felt his hand slide up her side as he felt her soft skin, causing it to crawl as she moved to get him off of her. Her hips rolled, & he moved up, only to let her spin underneath of him. She felt his thin, bony fingers knot into her hair above one of the pig tails so he could yank her head back, causing her eyes to open & look up at him. He clucked his tongue as he scowled down at her. "We're going to have to talk about your dress code, Harley," he said in a stern voice as his hand started to roll up her stomach to her side. "You know I don't like anyone looking at you, at what's mine."

"I'm not yours!" Harley was finally able to spit out at him as she began to struggle back harder, only causing Joker to laugh hysterically. The sound of boots pounding on the hardwood floor of her apartment caused both Harley & Joker to still.

"What's this?" Joker asked, before she felt his weight instantly lift off of her. Red Hood had him by the back of the jacket, & was shoving him against the wall.

"Don't touch her," Red Hood said heatedly behind his mask before he slammed Joker back into the wall heavily again. Joker slumped down to the ground, & Jason lifted his hand out to Harley. "Let's go," he commanded her, & Harley didn't hesitate to scramble off of the bed to take Jason's outstretched hand. He pulled her to him & grabbed her around the waist so that he could roll with her in his arms out of her opened bedroom window. Harley could feel the tears stinging at her eyes as she buried her head into Jason's neck, her arms wrapping around his strong ribcage. His arm shot out as they rolled, & he shot off a grappling hook to snap them up into the air & start swinging away through the streets of Gotham.


	4. No Rest for the Wicked

_**Chapter Three - No Rest for the Wicked**_

Jason eventually stopped leading Harley all around the city to confuse her, finally bringing her into an abandoned warehouse where he had an entire mini-Batcave set up, & tucked in a corner was a small living area with a bed, a TV, his clothes & a small bathroom with a stall shower. He finally let go of her hand & moved over to his computer, immediately ignoring Harley.

"What about my boys?" Harley asked, looking around as she came up behind him.

"I'll handle it, you need to sleep." Jason didn't look at her as he commanded her, just started to type rapidly into his computer's keyboard.

"You've gotta be kiddin' me, how am I supposed to sleep after that?" Harley demanded as her hands moved to her hips that had canted to one side in annoyance.

"That's not my problem," Jason responded, finally looking over his shoulder at her. "I'll go & take care of your apartment. It's not safe for you there."

"Why did ya show up at my place, anyway? How did you find me?" Harley asked as she took another step closer. This got a reaction out of Jason, who smiled & stood. He moved towards her slowly, reaching out to place his hands on her hips. His fingers slid up the leather there as he looked down into her eyes, smirking softly as he seemed to look right through her.

Her breathing was shallow & heated as she looked up at him, suddenly aware of how very masculine he was, how strong he looked under that leather jacket, how thick his thighs looked under his jeans. How thick his neck was, how strong his jaw was. She was completely swept away with him so close, her lower lip quivering slightly as she expected he was about to kiss her. She saw his smirk spread as his eyes slowly swept her face before one of his hands pulled away from her hips, holding up a small blinking red light.

"Tracking device," he said huskily before he pulled away & tossed the device into a small bin filled with them before he sat back down at his Batcomputer.

Harley huffed, looking away. "Fair enough," she said heatedly, watching his back as her shoulders tensed.

"I said, go to sleep," Jason commanded, looking over his shoulder at her again. Harley sighed, loudly, before she made her way over to the bed.

"What am I supposed to wear?" Harley asked as she sat down heavily, laying her palms flat on the bed on either side of her.

"Whatever you usually wear, I guess."

"I usually sleep naked."

"Then sleep naked. I'm not going to be sleeping with you," Jason said with a laugh before he stood up & reached for his helmet. Harley suddenly looked scared as she looked up to see him putting on his helmet. He paused, looking at her reaction. "It's ok, you're safe here…" He said slowly, moving over to her in the bedroom. She didn't look convinced, so he knelt down in front of her & removed the helmet again. He reached up to set his hand on her cheek lightly, running the pad of his thumb across her cheekbone lightly. "You can relax here."

"I can't believe he got out…" She said softly as her eyes flicked downwards & to the side. She looked lost & alone. Jason could feel his heartstrings being tugged at, just seeing how vulnerable she looked just then.

"He won't find you here," Jason assured her, causing her to lift her eyes up to him again. "I'll go find him, & put him back in Arkham." He promised her, before she reached out to grab at the arm of his leather jacket.

"Please, don't leave me," she whispered softly, causing him to groan softly & under his breath so she couldn't hear him. He looked away from her & down to his helmet, making a decision. Finally his jaw set & he gave a nod, indicating her to scoot back into bed. She leaned down to start untying her boots, her lips brushing against his chin as she moved. They both froze completely as Harley's eyes flicked up to meet his. "Jason…"

"Don't, Harley. Just get ready for bed," Jason commanded before he stood up & turned to bring his helmet back to his computer set up while Harley got undressed. Once she finished peeling off the skin tight leather & setting her assorted weapons out on his dresser, she climbed into the bed & crawled under the covers. It was a small double bed, so she crushed her body up against the wall as Jason finally returned to the room & kneeled down into the bed after he removed the leather jacket from his form & tossed it onto a nearby chair.

He lay down next to her but over the covers she was under. He rolled onto his back & stared up at the ceiling, very aware of the female body pushed up against his in the small bed. "We're going to have to get another bed," Jason said tensely as Harley finally closed her eyes. Good, at least she was comfortable enough to relax around him. She didn't make any response, but he could feel her muscles slowly relaxing against him as her breathing became light & even.

"Harley?"

"Hmm?"

"I'll kill you. You know that, right?"

"Mhmm. Good night, Jason."

..::*::..

Finding sleep hadn't come as easily for Jason Todd as it had for Harley. Her body was warm against his, & soft. He didn't want to, fought himself not to, but he found himself running his fingers through her long blonde hair slowly while she slept. It had been calming & unnerving, all at the same time, to watch the bright blonde hair sliding through his fingers as he tried to control himself next to her.

He wouldn't admit it. He didn't want to admit it. But lying next to her in the dark of the warehouse, feeling her breath fanning across his shoulder & hearing her whimpers in her sleep as she moved around enough to drape her arm across his chest, had caused him to see Harley in another light.

She had dreams. He could tell. This one seemed to be a nightmare. But it indicated that she was human & just a pawn in the game of the Joker as he had been in Batman's. To soothe her, he found her arm on his chest & slowly ran his fingertips along her skin, to provide some comfort he would never, ever give her when she was awake. Her fingers curled on his white t-shirt as her head came a little closer to his shoulder in sleep, her face nuzzled up against his bicep. He grit his teeth, remembering why he hated this woman, why he would kill her immediately if he had to.

He knew the dangers of getting involved with a woman like Harley. She was emotionally damaged, scarred, broken, & mentally unstable at best. She clung, & tightly too, to the first thing that showed her affection like an abused puppy, so desperate for love that she threw herself at the first signs of it with little to no regard to herself. Regardless, when she was asleep, & her skin showed where the face paint usually was, she was beautiful. & he could almost find himself completely entranced by her as his fingers slid along her forearm & small, delicate wrist slowly.

She mumbled something in her sleep that caused him to cant his head to the side to listen to her carefully. She sighed his name. He must have soothed that nightmare away, so his hand left her skin to drag down his face while he stared up at the distant ceiling. What had he gotten himself into?

..::*::..

When Harley woke up, feeling the sun lifted so high in the windows of the warehouse burning at the insides of her eyes, she gave a groan & tried to roll over onto her back, but she found that there was a weight across her stomach & a pressure at her hip. "Ugh, Lou," she grumbled, moving her hands to try to push the weight away from her. She was surprised to find not a furry body pushed up to her side like she had expected, but a man's body.

It wasn't Jokers body. This body was cut with hard, strong muscles. Slowly her blue eyes blinked open as she looked to see what had been holding her so tightly. Jason Todd had evidentially found sleep somehow, & had moved to hold her in his dreams. She blinked again, as if she wasn't seeing what she was seeing, but Jason Todd remained.

Her eyes narrowed as she moved to lean her weight on her elbow, allowing her to look down at him. He had told her before she had fallen asleep that he would kill her. & now he was all cuddled up to her like she was a giant teddy bear. Despite her best efforts, her hand moved to cup his cheek as her thumb swiped across his cheekbone, much as he had done to her the night before. He still had saved her from… Joker. Joker was out. Joker knew where she was. Well, he knew where she used to be. But how long could she stay with Jason Todd, nestled in like a couple of love birds?

She knew that wasn't the case. She knew Jason had a motive. He always had a motive. He was using her, probably to get to Joker, & she knew it. Despite what everyone had believed, Harley was smarter than the average bear, as the saying went. She pulled her hand away from his cheek as she saw him stirring. At some point he had gotten rid of his white shirt. While he went about waking up, her eyes rolled down over his form. So different than the one she was used to. He was all muscle & toned hard skin. Joker didn't have very many muscles. She didn't know if she liked that or not. The way she felt as she looked at him, the urge to move to touch his chest, to slide her hands over his skin told her that she did, in fact, find muscles attractive.

Her eyes finally rolled up to his face again to find him staring at her, slightly glaring. "See something you like?" He asked gruffly, his voice still laced with sleep. He pulled himself away from her, as if he was angry to have found that in sleep, he sought the comfort of feeling Harley lying next to him.

"You ain't my type," Harley answered, but she had lied. He was becoming her type. She could feel the desire washing over her, causing her lower lip to pout again in that quiver she had developed around him.

"Right," Jason answered with a snort before he rolled to move himself off of the bed. He stood & stretched, with his powerful back to her so she could watch the muscles in his shoulders tensing up to relax before he reached down to grab a shirt off of the floor & tugged it over his head. "I'm going to see about getting us a bigger bed, & then I'm going to go to your apartment to get your things. There anything special you need?"

"Bud & Lou," Harley answered automatically, sitting up fully to look at him.

"What is Bud & Lou?" Jason asked, hoping for all that he was worth that she wasn't about to tell him she had a pair of cats or something.

He wasn't shocked when she exceeded his expectation when she happily chirped, "My hyenas!" He rolled his eyes & nodded his head, huffing slightly.

"I'm not surprised," he responded with a slight amount of venom laced to his tone that he could see stunned & hurt her as she moved to sit up, drawing the covers up around her upper body to conceal the black & red bra she had worn to sleep. "You'll need your clothes, too," he remarked as he moved to turn to look at her, careful to soften his tone with her. "Why don't you take a shower while I'm gone?"

"I don't have anything to wear," she answered, which caused him to move over to his dresser & open a few drawers. He pulled out a black t-shirt & a pair of black basketball shorts. He tossed them over to her before he moved to the exit of the living area.

"Just… stay here, please?" He asked, looking at her again with pleading eyes. The last thing he needed was any of the men he dealt with, or anyone from the Bat Club knowing that she was staying with him, despite his intentions to use her to get to Joker. He was relieved when she gave a short nod & looked down at the clothes in her lap as she touched the fabric there. He moved forward & put his hand on her cheek, tilting her head back with a bit of force so that her bright blue eyes lifted to his. "You're safe here, I promise. He won't find you here." She smiled softly at his promise as she looked up to him, her eyes filled with trust & adoration.

He felt his heartstrings being tugged on again as he saw what her eyes shone with. He couldn't help it; it was a natural reaction to seeing her looking up at him like that. He leaned forward slowly & pressed his lips to hers softly. He was surprised when she responded, her lips moving under his to reciprocate the kiss before he pulled back slightly. She blinked her eyes open in a bit of shock & awe, before he moved quickly to kneel down on the bed in front of her.

His arms immediately wrapped around her waist as hers fell up around his neck, & he pressed his lips to hers again, this time tighter & with more demand. Again her soft lips moved pliantly under his, parting for him when his tongue snaked out to push into them. He was in her warm, inviting mouth, her tongue lifting to tease against the underside of his as one of his hands moved up to the side of her face, to keep her against him tightly. He gave a groan into her mouth as her body pressed to his, the cover falling away so that he could feel the fabric of her bra against the thin fabric of his shirt.

He could have her. He knew he could. He could take her right there, she'd let him get away with anything at this point. She felt his hips press forward before he pulled back slightly, his lips moving over hers as he spoke. "Harley…" He whispered to her before both of their eyes opened to look at one another. He could see the color in her cheeks, & she could see the strain of maintaining control in his eyes. "Stay," he whispered to her softly before he pulled himself away from her so he could quickly make his way from the warehouse & away from Harley.

..::*::..

Joker had woken up in his bed in his hideout, a splitting headache forming in the front of his head where he had been forced into the wall by… Well, he wasn't entirely sure who it had been. The memory of the night before flushed back into his mind as he remembered feeling Harley's body in that new costume of hers that showed off entirely too much skin, feeling himself getting excited to have his Harley again, whether she fought him or not. Then, someone had intervened; someone had slammed him, most painfully, directly into the wall. Twice! Joker was not happy.

He struggled to his feet as he snapped for a few goons, the ones who had been there with him in Harley's apartment. "Did you see who was there?!" He snapped dangerously, looking from one to the other slowly. "You!" He pointed his gnarled, thin finger into the chest of one of his guards. "You saw who it was, didn't you?"

"N—no Joker, I didn't. I swear!"

"N—n—n—n—no Joker!" Joker sneered, pushing heavily on the chest of the goon, who stumbled backwards after being mocked. "Get rid of him, he's of no use to me," Joker said as he waved his hand & turned back to look down at his bed.

Two of the goons in his bedroom grabbed the now frantic, shouting goon who had been fired, & pulled him from the room. "It's so hard to find good help these days," Joker sighed, before a single shot of a handgun rang out in the silence. "But I do so love that sound! The rest of you, we're going back to Harley's. Tonight!"


	5. A Brief Respite

_**Chapter Four - A Brief Respite**_

Jason stepped into the apartment, seeing it had suffered little to no damage last night at the hands of Joker, which was good. He moved over to the door of the bedroom he had opened, seeing the imprint of Jokers head in the cracked & broken plaster, which caused him to smirk. He opened the bedroom door, immediately seeing the hyenas Harley had made sure he brought back to his hideout with him. He grimaced slightly as the two large beasts ran right for him & began to snuff & sniff at him excitedly while one pushed the other out of the way heavily with its body to get a better sniff.

They seemed to approve of him after a few minutes of heavy sniffing before they both relaxed & moved to let him get on with his job. Jason sighed slightly as they finally left him alone, & moved for Harley's closet to try to find something to shove all of her things into so he could bring it to her. Of course, he wouldn't take everything, he certainly couldn't. Harley had a lot.

He was also surprised to find out that Harley kept a clean apartment. He had half expected her to be messy, keeping her things thrown all about her apartment. It made his search for her things easier as he shoved clothes, her face paint, her toiletries & a few other things into a large duffel bag he had found in the closet. He grabbed a few more pieces of her costume she had kept hanging in her closet, as well as a few pairs of shoes so that she didn't have to hide in his lair all day long.

He realized what he was doing & snorted, loudly, before he moved away from her closet. He opened a few drawers on her bedside table, finding a picture of Joker in an intricate silver frame. He growled lightly, before he slammed the frame down into the ground & stepped on it, causing the broken glass to crush heavily under his foot. He hated Joker, hated what Joker had took from him. But he also felt a surge of jealousy spring through him. Harley was having more of an effect on him than he would have liked. He stepped away from the broken frame & moved out into the living room so he could whistle for the two hyenas. They came crashing into the small hallway for him, their tails wagging animatedly, almost like a pair of dogs.

"Come on, mutts. I'll bring you to Harley," he grumbled as he walked towards the entryway & found the two thick chains he needed to lock onto their thick collars so he could control them in the streets. How he was going to manage walking two large predators in the middle of Gotham was beyond him, but he was grateful Harley's hideout wasn't so far from his own, & it was in a more derelict area of town. Clearly she had been walking them, & no one had given her any problems. He was also grateful that they were here, & that Joker hadn't taken them when he broke in the night before. Jason wasn't sure if he would have been able to break that news to Harley, they clearly meant a lot to her.

Wait, what the hell was happening to him? He glared down at the two hyenas tugging at the chains, ready to go for a walk with Jason, looking up at him with their warm brown eyes. He could snap their necks; tell her he found them dead. Or he could just leave them here, let them starve to death or kill each other to survive. Or he could just let them go completely. He'd think of something to tell Harley, it'd be easy enough to do. Just say that they weren't there when he got there. That would maybe change how she acted towards him, maybe then she would stop being so frustrating around him, & he wouldn't be tempted to kiss her all the time, to let her in to the cold, empty shell his heart had once been. Then she'd know she couldn't find love anywhere. No, there was no way he was going to bring these hyenas back with him to his hideout, & he wasn't going to let them live, either.

..::*::..

Timothy Drake stood in the office of Bruce Wayne, again at Wayne Manor. Bruce himself stood at the window, looking out at the grounds in deep thought. Tim knew better than to interrupt Bruce, but Bruce's faithful manservant, Alfred, didn't seem to mind.

"Master Drake, may I interest you in some tea?"

"No thanks, Alfred," Tim responded, but it caused Bruce to turn, as if finally taking in the appearance of Tim. They gave each other a short nod, before Bruce moved over to his desk to sit down, indicating that Tim do the same. "What's up, Bruce?"

"We have a problem," Bruce said, lifting one hand to rub at his jaw as he regarded Tim.

"Have we lost one of the flock?" Tim asked, seeing Bruce slightly distressed. He knew Bruce only reacted this way when there was a serious problem. Bruce sighed, & placed the bridge of his nose between two fingers.

"If only it were so simple, Tim." Bruce sighed before he looked back up at Tim. "Joker escaped from Arkham last night," he started, but Tim was quick to intervene.

"Harley finally went back to him. The heist at the charity event was a distraction."

"No. Harley was with Jason last night. Damian found them together."

"Bruce…" Tim was shocked at hearing this tidbit of information. Jason & Harley? It didn't make any sense. "Are you sure it's—"

"Yes, he brought her to his warehouse last night. I'm not sure if he's using her or not, but that seems to be most likely. For Harley's sake, we have to get her back in Arkham, & quickly. I fear what Joker will do to both of them if he finds out she is with him."

"So what do you need me for?" Tim asked, tilting his head slightly to the side.

"I need you to watch them, while Damian & I go after Joker," Bruce said, looking past Tim's shoulder to see the Bat Signal lighting up the Gotham sky as it was just turning dark. "Tim, get her. It's for Jason's own good; I don't want him to do anything rash with her. Joker's on the move, we have to hurry."

"You got it, Bruce." Tim nodded as he stood, before Bruce made his way over to the Grandfather clock in his office to enter down into the Batcave.

..::*::..

Jason Todd moved back into his warehouse hideout, stepping through the silent area back to where his set up & living area was. He didn't see Harley anywhere. That was until he heard a noise high above him, a squeal. His eyes shot up to see Harley high in the rafters, using them to work out it seemed. She was dressed in the clothes he had left her, & her hair was pulled up in a tight ponytail at the back of her head.

"Bud! Lou!" She screeched before she flipped around the pipe she had been holding on to & fell through the sky to land on her feet directly next to him. She seemed to absorb the shock from the fall quickly, a fall that should have broken her ankles & knees, before she dropped down to the floor as her hyenas reacted to her presence excitedly with yips & cackles. He had never seen Harley as happy as she was just then to see her pets. Jason hadn't had it in him to kill her useless animals. His jaw set as he looked down to the three rolling on the floor before he bent forward to unchain the hyenas & stepped over them to head off towards his command center, dropping her bag down unceremoniously to the ground by the living area.

Suddenly, all the bells & whistles on Jason's computer lit up began to flash as a siren went off. Harley lifted her hands to her ears & glared behind her at Jason, who hadn't looked so alive since she had known him. "He's on the move!" He said excitedly before he dashed towards the chair in the living area & threw on his jacket. He grabbed his helmet off the desk of the computer & began running towards Harley, who watched him with wide eyes filled with fear. He stopped as she stood, looking down to her.

"That'll shut off in a minute. & don't worry, he's moving in the opposite direction," he said to her, lifting his hand to cup her cheek. "Stay here."

"Let me help you," she pleaded, when in reality she really just didn't want to be all alone in the warehouse by herself with the hyenas. Even though he assured her he, who she could only assume had been Joker, was going somewhere else, she could still feel the fear gnawing at her gut.

"You have to stay here, you can't help," he told her sternly, before he dipped his head down to push his lips against hers as his free arm snaked around her waist. She had never been kissed the way he was kissing her then. He crushed her to his body as her hand found the front of his chest & she bent her knee to lift her foot up into the air as her back arched slightly from the position.

She felt her heart immediately pick up speed as she closed her eyes, feeling Jason's tongue touching her lower lip lightly. She had been about to part her lips for him when he pulled back & grinned at her. "Stay here, Harls. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Before she could protest, he moved away from her & towards the loading bay doors of the warehouse to drag a tarp off of another black & red motorcycle. He pulled the helmet over his head, threw one last glance at Harley before the roar of the echoing engine & the stink of gasoline filled the warehouse as the loading doors rolled up enough for him to slip through with a loud accelerating scream before they rolled back down, leaving Harley all alone again.

But she wasn't alone for long. As soon as the doors slid shut, there was the sound of padded feet dropping down behind her. She'd know that sound anywhere. The hyenas took off, shaking, into a corner of the hideout, scared from the sudden appearance of the hooded Red Robin.

"Let's go Harley, its back to Arkham for you." His voice was deep & menacing, but there was something close to a sadness tinged in his voice. It really had nothing to do with Harley going back to Arkham. It had to do with Timothy Drake having just watched his brother kissing one of the most dangerous women in Gotham, promising her a happy home reunion. The thought made his stomach churn. Jason Todd really had fallen far from grace.

"I'm not goin' without a fight!" Harley responded as she spun & threw her bare foot out to catch Red Robin off guard. But he wasn't, he had expected as much from her. His arm snapped up & caught the brunt of the force of Harley's swing, causing him to take a step back but remained, for the most part, unharmed. With his other hand, he spun his extendable staff until it snapped out to lock into place & swung it around to try to catch her knees.

"Let's not do this, Harley," he groaned to her as she flipped backwards to avoid the staff & took off for the wall of the warehouse where a low-hanging pole was waiting. Harley had learned the piping system of this warehouse all day, & she was one of the best gymnasts she knew, besides maybe Selina Kyle. That was only because of her damned nine lives.

Harley rushed to that pole & leapt up into the air to grab it so she could launch herself for another one. Red Robin looked up at her from behind his black mask that whited out his eyes. "I'm sorry, Jason," he said softly before he took out a gun & aimed it at the back of Harley's head. He took the shot, & Harley came crashing down to the floor.


	6. Brotherly Betrayal

_**Chapter Five - Brotherly Betrayal**_

The thrill of the hunt always excited Joker as he climbed stealthily into the apartment Harley had once called a home. Would she spring out at him at any moment? Or maybe her hero, would he pop out from behind a door to throw his fist into Joker's already deformed face again? The thought made Joker laugh quietly, which would have given his position away anyway. So Joker wasn't so good on the hunt. The climb through the window was a nice touch, but upon looking around, he was surprised to find that the apartment had already been ransacked.

"We've been bamboozled!" Joker howled as he looked around at the destruction. He threw on a light switch, only to hear the click, but no lights. He flicked it maniacally before he realized that no one had been there to fix the breakers he had thrown the night before. "Must I do everything myself?!" He demanded loudly as he slumped forward to the breakers & flipped them again. Lights flooded the apartment, causing him to shield his eyes before he blinked, looking around. His goons threw open the front door behind him & he sagged again.

"Be quiet, will you!? This is a sensitive matter!" Joker seemed agitated, even more so than usual, so his goons stayed silent as they followed behind him through Harley's desolate apartment. Knick knacks stayed behind; there were signs that she hadn't lifted everything to move, just the bare essentials. He moved into her bedroom & threw open a drawer, pouting heavily. "She took her panties!" He cried before he heard a crunch underfoot. He looked down & saw the smashed picture frame, causing his head to cant to the side before he pulled his foot away to look down at it curiously.

He dropped down to crouch as he gently picked it up with a white gloved hand, lifting it to his face. Harley had loved this picture of him, she had been so happy when he let her take the picture in the first place. To find it crushed on the ground had almost caused a feeling to rip through him. He wouldn't let it. Someone else had done it, he could tell by the dirt caked boot print smudged on the glass.

"Boys, our Harley has been kidnapped. We have to find her, before they ask for a ransom!" Joker shouted, causing his goons to snap to attention to listen to him.

"I've got bad news for you," came a voice by the same opened window Harley had crept through last night, the one in her bedroom. Joker looked up, still clutching the frame. "She wasn't kidnapped." Red Hood grinned behind his helmet before he dropped down into the room & crossed his arms over his chest. "& she's not yours anymore."

"Ha ha HA! Then tell me who does she belong to now?" Joker questioned as his fingers dipped into the pocket of his purple suit jacket.

"Me," Red Hood answered, causing Joker to howl with laughter. He slapped his knee as he doubled over, causing Jason to glare behind his mask. His fists clenched before he dropped one to his side, drawing out a gun & aiming the barrel at Joker. "I've waited far too long for this," he growled as he pulled back the hammer to hear that all too familiar click.

Joker stilled from his laughter, a grin spreading across his face just before a shadow loomed up to throw Joker into shadow, coming from directly behind Jason Todd. Jason spun & pulled the trigger of his gun, just narrowly missing Batman, who fell into the room with his foot outstretched for the center of Jason's chest. Jason fell under Batman, his gun being knocked away.

"I won't forget this, Bats!" Joker giggled loudly before he tucked tail & ran with his goons, only to find Robin blocking the door. "Why?!" Joker cried out like a spoiled child. "Why must you always have this stupid brat with you?! Is this the one I killed?" He asked, seeing Robins eyes narrow in a glare under the black mask that concealed his eyes. Jokers men fell easily under the gymnastic fighting style of Robin, but he was no match for Joker, who was far too familiar with the way he fought. He kept Damian at bay with a series of flash bombs & gun shots from his own pistol while he backed up towards the window of the apartment.

In the bedroom, Batman & Red Hood were throwing punch for punch, both angling for the gun. Jason wanted to retrieve it, & Bruce wanted to make sure he couldn't get his hands on it. "You can't stop me from killing him!" Red Hood shouted just before taking a punch to his already sore solar plexus.

"I can, & I will. You'll be no better than him. I taught you better," Batman countered, just before Red Hood landed a punch on his exposed jaw.

"He escaped!" Robin shouted, standing above the fallen bodies of the three goons who were tied up with grappling nets, pointing to the window.

"It won't solve anything, it won't change the past," Bruce reminded Jason, for what felt like the millionth time. It probably was. Jason grit his teeth & spun, running straight for Damian before he launched himself through the window to take after Joker. "Stop him!" Bruce commanded, & Robin quickly followed suit out of the window, using his grappling hooks & cape to sail through the night.

Batman knelt down to the ground to pick up the gun & opened one of the drawers in Harley Quinn's apartment so he could drop it inside, just as a voice sounded against his ear.

"Batman, I have Harley. We're en route to Arkham. Do you want me to wait for you?" Timothy Drake sounded over the communicator. Bruce wasn't surprised to hear a shout in the communicator, coming from Jason Todd, before they all heard the helmet strike the concrete, cracking. He winced, but placed his fingers to where his ear was.

"I'll be there."

..::*::..

Harley woke up, dizzy & confused. She felt like she was moving, but she couldn't see anything, despite how hard she tried. She was blindfolded, gagged, & her hands were tied behind her back. On top of that, she could feel at her fingers & the bare skin of her shins & ankles, net was draped over top of her for good measure.

She fought against her restraints; she rolled & twisted, but only managed to tangle herself deeper into the biting rope of the nets. Despite how hard she flailed, nothing was relenting until she felt the car pull to a stop. She heard the door in front of her open & close, before she could hear feet on gravel. She'd know that sound anywhere.

The back doors of the van opened & she felt rough hands gripping at her bicep to tug her out & to her feet. She stumbled forward, trying to catch her balance as she cried out against the gag. "Get that net off of her before she hurts herself," she heard a deep rumbling command. Again, she'd know that sound anywhere. That was none other than Batman. She felt the net finally becoming untangled from her body, but strong hands grabbed her. She felt a circular metallic object press into her back; she knew that to be the muzzle of a gun.

Hands lifted to the side of her face to tug the blindfold off of her so that she could look up to see the cold eyes of Batman. "Jason's sorry he couldn't be here to say goodbye," he said before the guards at either arm tugged her away from him towards the entrance of Arkham, Batman following close behind her. He was surprised to see the slump in her shoulders. The usual kick to her step was gone; she usually wasn't so depressed to come back to Arkham. They had to hurry though; Jason Todd could make an appearance at any moment to try to stop them. If he really had entertained feelings for Harley. Batman could tell the sound of the shout at hearing Timothy had captured Harley that it wasn't the shout one made when finding out that their plans had been compromised. It was something else entirely.

Once inside Arkham, Batman turned to the guards at the front door. "I want her on twenty four hour watch, treat her like Joker. & do not, under any circumstance, let Jason Todd or The Red Hood into the facility." He spoke quietly so that Harley wouldn't hear. They had to keep her under the illusion that this had been a set up; so that they could start to quell any obsessive feelings Harley had started to grow for Jason. Bruce knew how Harley worked, knew that she craved attention & once she got it, she was like an addict & would do whatever it took for more. Arkham really was the best place for her.

Bruce had no qualms with escorting the dejected Harley Quinn back to her familiar cell, & even was the one to turn the lock & key, so to speak. He flicked up the power source that would surge through Harley's cell door to maintain its integrity before he stepped back to the cell to look at her sitting on the padded floor. "It's for the best, Harley," he said softly to her before he turned to walk away.

..::*::..

Damian had caught the brunt of Jason's anger. The current Robin was bruised, bloodied & beaten, lying in an alleyway as he backed up from his enraged brother. "Jason, stop…" He begged, looking up at Jason, pleading for him as he lifted an arm in peace while the other wrapped around his chest.

"Why? Why did Tim go after Harley? Why did you let Joker escape? Why!?" He demanded loudly as he crouched down & grabbed Damian's hair tightly in his fist.

"Jason… She's no good…" Damian choked out as he winced heavily from Jason hauling him up by the hair.

"You let Joker escape!" Jason yelled into his face, his eyes glowering & full of hatred behind his red eye mask. "You think I care about Harley?! You let Joker escape!" He tossed Damian heavily to the side before he stood up, his hands curling into fists at his hips. "I'll pay you all back for what you've done to me. Starting with Joker, but you'll all pay," Jason promised before he walked away from Damian & moved for his motorcycle, still outside of Harley's old apartment building. He started it up with a roar & took off into the streets, his helmet carelessly thrown to the side.

The loud sound of a cape was like music to Damian's ears as he slipped from consciousness, knowing that Bruce had finally come for him. Bruce stopped to pick up Jason's helmet before he stooped down to pick up Damian, the Batmobile roaring into action beside him after he hit the button on his utility belt.

"Alfred, Damian's been hurt. Meet me in the Batcave."

"Yes, Master Wayne."

..::*::..

Jason was like a wild man, scanning the streets for any sign of Joker he could find. But there were none, it was as if he, once again, vanished into thin air. He finally found himself back near his hideout. He needed to get some rest; he needed to take a shower. He pulled his bike up into the warehouse after the loading bay doors & wondered idly if that was how Red Robin had found his way inside. Jason's own brother had snuck into his hideout like a thief in the night & had taken the only playing card Jason had left against Joker. That wasn't the worst of it. He stepped over the small pool of blood made by Harley's crash landing onto the concrete floor as the hyenas came out of hiding to greet the familiar Jason, & looked to his computer. It had been completely demolished.

Jason let out a mighty bellow of anger as he picked up his chair & threw it at the system, causing more sparks & glass to fly through the air before he moved into the living area. He took off the jacket he was wearing, caked in the blood of Damian, & tossed it onto his chair before he pulled his shirt up over his head.

It had been a long day. It was going to be an even longer night, he just knew it. The hyenas followed him, yipping & cackling for his attention. Much like their owner, their Harley, they so craved his affection. He let his fingers brush through the thick spotted coats at the back of their necks, giving them a small sign of his acceptance over them before he moved off for the bathroom. The larger one, the one he knew as Lou from the dangling charm on his collar, tried to follow him inside. Jason actually didn't mind it, it was nice to have the company.

When he got out of the shower, dressed in only his black boxer briefs with his towel hanging around his neck, was when he realized just how empty the warehouse felt. She hadn't even been there twenty four hours, but Harley had made this place seem like it was teeming with life, bursting with energy. He moved to lie out on the small bed & put his head against the pillow she had slept on. It still smelled like her. He growled, realizing what he was doing before he rolled, putting his back to that damned pillow. Damn her. Damn her, damn Joker, damn Batman, damn Red Robin, damn Robin, & damn Jason Todd, too.

The hyenas gave soft whines as they curled up onto the floor next to the bed, lifting their eyes to look up at him every time he moved, their warm brown eyes begging him. He knew what for, they missed her too. His hand slipped from the bed to run his fingers across the tuft of fur on the back of Bud's neck as the hyena whined Jason off to sleep.

..::*::..

She kept telling herself that it wasn't so bad, & the more she told that to herself, the less she felt it. Harley had curled up on her bed, about the only thing she could do inside her own personal Hell, hugging her small pillow to her chest as she silently cried. At least the vent above her, connecting her cell with Joker's, was silent. She remembered when that was her most cherished part of her cell, so she could fall asleep listening to his maniacal laughter, & him telling her repeatedly to shut up. That & the carvings of his name all around her into the cement walls. She needed a new room.

It really wasn't so bad. At least Pamela, or Poison Ivy, was in the cell next to her. She couldn't hear what Pamela was up to, she was always cooing to those damned plants of hers, but it comforted Harley to know that she was there, right next to her. Her fingers played at the collar of the black t-shirt she was wearing. It smelled like sweat, blood & fear. But it still held the scent of Jason Todd. Like cigarette smoke, sulfur & brimstone, & the heady scent of his cologne. The mixture of scents had easily become her favorite scent in the world.

But he had turned his back on her, set her up to be brought back to this place. She thought he cared about her, but clearly that wasn't the case. It brought the tears to flow anew; she pulled the pillow into her face to silence the soft sobs.


	7. Break Down

**_Chapter Six - Break Down_**

Jason woke up, his arm reaching out for something that wasn't there. She wasn't there; he wouldn't get to wake up with her again, unless of course she broke out of Arkham. Harley was good at that; he knew that all too well. But something told him that she wasn't going to.

He struggled to stand, looking down at the floor to her sleeping mutts, giving a grumble. How he had suddenly became their master was a mystery to him, but it looked like he was in charge of them until she came back.

"She's no good." The words Damian spoke the night before rattled through his brain, replaying over & over again. Of course she was no good. She was certainly no good for Jason, whose own grip on his emotions was tenuous at best. But damnit, she had grown on him completely; there was no denying that now. She had completely gotten under his skin, that's why the hyenas had survived still & he didn't have the urge to shoot them where they stood as they followed him over to his ruined computer system. He pulled the chair from the desk & sat down in it heavily, looking at all the damage. Every screen was cracked, destroyed, & wires & cords hung cut in half. The keyboards were all smashed, Tim had even gone through the great care of making sure every last one of his tracking devices were smashed underfoot.

The Bat Club was like the mob; once they had it in for you they were thorough. All Jason could do was stare at the broken screen that had alerted him to Harley's hideout just two nights ago.

He wished she was there; he should have let her come with him. The pang of regret kicked around his stomach. He couldn't do this to himself, he needed to get out. & he knew just the man he needed to see. It was Sunday morning; no doubt Bruce was just getting out of the bed he shared with Catwoman. Bruce was mighty hypocritical, taking Harley away from Jason, then climbing into bed with a known criminal & jewel thief. He moved to his living area to pull on some clothes before he gave the hyenas some friendly pets. He moved over to his motorcycle & straddled it so he could kick start the throttle & raced out of the warehouse for Wayne Manor.

..::*::..

"Master Wayne, Master Todd is here," Alfred advised as he walked towards the front door. Bruce made no show of his disapproval while he studied the morning paper for criminal action he had missed the night before & of course the business section.

"Send him in Alfred, thank you."

Alfred moved to open the door for Jason, who somehow suppressed showing his anger to the old gentleman by bashing the door in. He didn't, however, need Alfred to show him the way. There Bruce sat, in that big reading chair, the paper drawn up to his chest & dressed in a dark blue robe with just the hint of a white undershirt peeking out from under the collar.

"Jason, what a surprise." Bruce didn't sound surprised, but Jason also didn't hang up on the pleasantries the beautiful Sunday morning of fall had to offer.

"Why'd you do it?" Jason demanded, standing in front of Bruce. His fists curled at his hips, & Bruce looked up to see him absolutely seething.

"Arkham is the best place for Harley, Jason. She's sick, she can get help there."

"Don't talk down to me with your bullshit!" Jason shouted, enraged that Bruce was so calm while Jason was filled to the brim with hate for his former mentor. He'd have kicked something over, & would have taken great pleasure in doing so, if he didn't know that Alfred would be the one to clean it up. Jason couldn't do that to Alfred; his job was hard enough as it was, dealing with the calm, collected psychopath sitting in front of Jason. "Why did you have Tim destroy my computer?"

"So that you couldn't get into Arkham."

"What?" Jason asked, completely thrown off by that. Break into Arkham? Why hadn't he thought of that? Bruce thought he was fifteen steps ahead of everyone, but the truth was sometimes he was just too smart for his own good. The wheels started to spin in Jason Todd's mind; he didn't need a computer to break into Arkham. It would have helped, but he didn't need one.

"Before you go charging in there, Jason," Bruce sighed, folding the paper up to set it on the table with his morning coffee. "You should know that she thinks you helped put her in there."

"Why would she think that?" Jason snapped, glaring openly at the man he once thought ruled the world. Now he saw he was just as much of a prisoner of this city as Harley was to Arkham.

"I told her you did."

Jason's eye twitched. "You WHAT?!" He shouted as his fist pulled back, ready to knock Bruce out cold in that pretty blue robe of his. It wouldn't be so expensive if it was stained in blood. It was looking down at Bruce, seeing him so normal that had made him forget he was facing not only Bruce Wayne, but Batman. Before his fist could even fly forward, Bruce calmly swept Jason's feet out from under him from his seated position in his chair. Jason fell down like a sack of potatoes, hitting the floor heavily.

"I did," Bruce finished as Jason started to pick himself up off of the amazingly expensive Oriental rug under Bruce's feet. He was none too pleased with Jason as it was, knowing what he had done to Damian. "I'm worried about you, Jason. I think maybe it'd be best if you came back here & stayed for a while. Clear your head & get over this…" Bruce paused to roll his wrist in the air so that the sleeve of his robe would fall back & he could glance at his watch. "Idea of Harley. It's for the best, for both of you. You know it is. Have I ever steered you wrong?"

"You're wrong about a lot, Bruce. You create your own problems. There would be no Joker, if there wasn't a Batman. Or a Riddler, a Two-Face, a Killer Croc. None of them would be the problem they are without Batman," Jason huffed as he finally straightened himself out so he could storm out of the Wayne Manor.

..::*::..

"Poor Harley," Pamela soothed, listening to the woman in the cell next to hers crying. "Did he hurt you again?"

"It's not Joker, I kicked the habit." Harley sounded weak, broken. She didn't sound like Harley usually did after being kicked in the teeth by Joker. This caused Pamela to sit up & to listen closer.

"You've said that so many times," Pamela responded, moving to step forward in her cell. "How can I trust you to really be over him?"

"I just am, okay?!" Harley snapped, rolling her head to the side on her bed to look at the wall of her cell. She stared at Jokers name, could almost hear him laughing in the cell somewhere above hers. Of course, he was out on the streets of Gotham, while she was stuck in Arkham. That usually how it always ended up, but this time she had gotten herself put back inside for having feelings for Jason Todd.

He really had played her, she realized that now. He really had used her, made her feel this way only to dump her back into Arkham the second Joker appeared.

"What brought on this new burst of self-confidence?" Pamela asked, standing up to move to her cell door so she could hear Harley a little clearer. "Or should I ask who?"

"No one, just forget it," Harley answered, falling silent. No, that wasn't like Harley. Pamela sat back down on her bed & lifted her eyes up to the ceiling of her cell. Something was different. She wouldn't say wrong, as anyone who could pull Harley's attention away from Joker would never be wrong in Pamela's eyes. But Harley did seem different. Pamela seemed content in just knowing that Harley was safe, & seemed to be over Joker. For now, at least.


	8. Forest Hideout

_**Chapter Seven - Forest Hideout**_

Harley didn't want to spend another night in her cell at Arkham. Too many bad memories, too many painful ghosts. She had resigned herself to staying in her bed, curled up with her pillow as she cried. She couldn't eat any of the food the guards gave her, she could hear them talking about moving her to the hospital wing to put an IV drip in her if she didn't start to eat. She didn't care.

She finally moved, rolling onto her back to look up at the cement ceiling & the vent that carried air between her cell & Jokers. She wondered if that in his absence, it would be opened. If she could get herself up there to get the grate off, & shimmy herself up inside, would she be able to get out through Jokers cell? It was an idea, about the only one she had.

But she didn't move to try, she couldn't. She didn't want to escape; she just wanted to be left alone. She seemed to have resigned to the fate of staying in Arkham Asylum, to spend the rest of her days in her own little corner of Hell. Maybe one day she'd get out on good behavior, be considered cured. Ha! That was a laugh.

"Harley is awfully quiet, isn't she Jackson?" She could hear the guards talking about her; they were always talking about her now.

"Do you think she's dead?" Another voice, presumably Jackson, responded.

"Let the bitch die. You know, back in June when she & Joker were knocking over buildings left & right to try to catch Batman, my wife was in one of those buildings? Dead, just like that."

"You shouldn't talk about Harley that way," came a third voice. Harley's eyes narrowed before she jumped to her feet. She heard a heavy thud before the unmistakable sound of a tazer being set off.

"Hood?" She called, trying to see through the bars of her cell. Finally he stepped into her line of sight, & she could even hear the gasp of shock from Pamela's cell next door. He was holding the tazer in his hand, in his other hand was a gun. Her heart thumped happily in her chest as she looked over him, seeing if he was hurt. He was bruised, & his usual white t-shirt was covered in blood, but he otherwise looked unharmed. He lifted his arm to wipe some blood off of his red helmet before he handed her the gun through her cell bars so that he could drop down to stick a device into the door of her cell. She aimed the gun, watching his back while he fiddled with some of the controls on the device until she heard the unmistakable clack of the door unlocking, followed by an echo of it. He let all of the criminals in Arkham out.

"Harls," he reached into her cell to grab her hand tightly before he tugged her roughly to him. "I never set you up." He lifted his hand to cup her cheek, his thumb sliding across her cheekbone.

"That's sweet & all, Hood, but maybe we can do this later?" She said with a smirk, & he grinned behind his helmet. He took his wrist into his strong hand before he started racing with her & the other criminals towards the now opened doors of Arkham Asylum. Though they were all pushing & shoving their way towards freedom, Jason kept a wide berth around himself & Harley so that he wouldn't lose her. Harley caught sight of Pamela's green skin & a flash of her red hair dashing for the exit before she heard the first bang of gunfire. Jason cursed heavily as he dropped the tazer. He gripped tighter to her wrist as he pushed on, yelling to her in the chaos.

"Shoot any guard you see, we have to get out!"

She lifted his gun & rushed with him as the criminals as one surged through the front doors after clambering up the stairs. "Keep your head down & run for the cliffs!" He commanded her as soon as they stepped over the threshold, just as the bullet of a sniper whizzed down & connected with the concrete next to her bare foot. She yelped, feeling the intense heat the impact made & felt the shrapnel of concrete as it exploded from the concrete, causing her head to instantly fall. "Good girl. Now, run!"

They took off like bullets themselves, out in the open as they didn't surge for the front gates like the rest of the prisoners had, but took off for the cliffs. But the guards had assumed that they were just going to stop at seeing that there was nowhere for them to go & focused mainly on the prisoners swarming the main gates in their bids for freedom. The entire scene was lunacy, but at least not as many bullets came flying the way of Jason & Harley.

"Jason!" Harley cried, pulling back on his arms as he raced forward straight for the cliffs.

"Trust me!" He called back to her before he leapt off of the ledge & dragged her down with him. She screamed & dropped the gun so that she could grab him with her other hand, pulling her body to his as she buried her face in his neck.

"I love you," she whispered, assured that they were about to die. Jason lifted his hand from his belt & shot off a grappling hook straight upwards, where it was caught by what looked like a one person, small flying jet. They were yanked back up into the air & dangled just above the rocks below the cliffs of Arkham Asylum.

"It's a bit early for all of that, Harley," Jason said softly as he wrapped his other arm around her waist, but he didn't feel so strong. "I need you to hold on tight to me, ok?" Harley nodded into his neck as she wrapped her legs around his waist, causing him to wince. "Good girl," he soothed her, feeling how hard her heart was racing in her chest against his. But he had her again, that was all that had mattered. He loved her, too.

..::*::..

The small jet finally deposited them on a small beach outside of Gotham, where a motorcycle laid in wait. The jet itself took off & flew across the Atlantic Ocean.

"Where's it going?" Harley asked as she watched the craft disappear.

"About 700 miles offshore to bury itself onto the ocean floor," Jason answered as he sat down on the beach & pulled his shirt off. Harley hadn't even known he was shot. "On the side pouch of the bike is a med kit, go get it for me."

Harley's eyes were wide but she quickly scrambled to get it for him, slipping on the damp sand & pebbles that were caught under her bare feet. She brought it back to him & knelt beside him as she opened it for him.

"Thanks. Think you can stitch it up for me?" He asked as he lifted his hand to pull off his helmet. She took it from him & set it to the ground carefully before she set the kit on her thick thighs & began to dig through the medical kit for what she would need. He saw how badly she was shaking, which caused him to smirk as he lifted his hand to cup her cheek again. "It's only a flesh wound, I'll be ok. It went clean through."

She gave a smile of relief. "Oh, good. 'Cause I don't know if I could handle you ditchin' me again."

"Harley, I didn't ditch you. I swear, I didn't set you up. They set me up setting you up. Do you really think I'd break into Arkham if I had—" His words broke off as he felt the biting sting of the antiseptic wipe Harley used on the gunshot wound he sustained to his shoulder.

"No, I don't. I was teasin', Birdie Boy. Relax," she said as she smirked, before she slid the curled stitching needle up into his flesh.

"You have done this before, right?" Jason asked with a slight quiver in his voice. Harley only smirked.

..::*::..

Jason had taken the pain of being stitched together without anything to numb him relatively well, if one didn't count how many times he cursed. Harley didn't, she was too busy being happy that he had turned out to be her knight in shining armor instead of the manipulator she had been led to believe by the master of manipulators himself, Batman.

When he was ready to go, Jason opened up one of the side bags of the motorcycle he had ready on the beach for them & handed her some clothes for her to put on that would protect her body from the heat the motorcycle gave off. She gratefully took the clothes to get out of the basketball shorts & t-shirt of his she had been wearing & slipped into the black jeans & red turtleneck he handed her so that she could straddle the back of his motorcycle.

He drove them through the woods, but she noticed he didn't take her back into the city. Instead he stayed close to the beach but in the woods until they finally came to a log cabin, the motorcycle coming to a stop on the dirt that served as a driveway. "We need to stay out of the city, at least until this all dies down," Jason explained to her as he let her climb off of the back of the motorcycle before he followed suit & led her up to the front porch of the house.

As soon as he threw open the door, she heard the familiar sounds of thick nails clicking against the floor as two large furry bodies came rushing to meet her. She gave a squeal as she reached for her hyenas, hugging both of their necks to her as she fell to her knees.

Jason stood off to the side, watching her reunite with her pets before he led her up a cramped set of stairs into a loft, where there was a large bed set up with dressers & a TV surrounding it, & a large bathroom off to the side. "I figured you'd want to have a shower & sleep."

Her stomach lurched as she reached for it, looking over at him. Jason grinned as he set down his helmet on the bedside table & gave a small nod.

"Breakfast first, and then sleep. Go shower." He leaned forward to press his lips to hers softly before he disappeared back down the steps that just cut through the middle of the bedroom floor.

Harley looked around the bedroom before she moved into the bathroom, glancing around it approvingly. There was a shower stall, but there was also a large marble bathtub that looked like it would fit two very comfortably, looking out over the massive backyard with slight peeks at the ocean between the trees. A bath sounded heavenly, but food sounded better, so she moved to the shower & peeled off her clothes.

..::*::..

To say that Bruce was livid would have been an understatement. How had Jason gotten in, to get Harley out? Where had they run off to? The warehouse hideout Tim had found Harley in had been abandoned, with only a note in Jason's handwriting, telling Bruce where he could shove his opinion about Harley & himself. Bruce crumpled the note in his hand before he opened a drawer to toss it into.

This had been exactly what Bruce had feared in the first place. Those two made a dangerous combination; he couldn't tell which one was the more deadly. The system was broken, his system was broken. Bruce didn't like that, he had trusted on this system to make criminals pay for their crimes instead of killing them. It was this that had kept him from killing Joker, despite how much Jason Todd wanted him to. Bruce ran his hands over his face as he leaned back in his office chair before he looked up at Dick, Timothy & Damian.

"I really don't care what it takes, or how far you have to go. Find them. I'll handle the other criminals," Bruce snapped before he swiveled his chair around to turn his back on the three.

They stepped out of the office as Dick shut the door behind him. "Jason's sure got a lot of nerve," Damian piped up, before Timothy shushed him & the three moved outside to where Dick & Tim's bikes were waiting, & away from the prying ears of Alfred & Bruce.

"We have to do something, we have to put him away," Dick sighed, looking at the other two. It killed him to say that about Jason, but Bruce was treating him like the prodigal son, & Jason needed to pay for his own crimes in Blackgate.

"I hate to admit it, but I think you're right. It can't all be Harley." Tim agreed, crossing his arms over his thick chest as he leaned back onto the seat of his motorcycle.

"It's not!" Damian added, as he had really been the only one to see Jason enraged at Harley being taken to Arkham, besides Bruce who had been tight lipped about when Jason had showed up to visit.

"Then we're agreed. We find them, & we put Jason where he belongs?" Tim asked, looking at the other former Robin, & the current Robin. They both nodded in agreement.

..::*::..

After Harley had showered & she & Jason had eaten the breakfast he prepared for her of bacon, sausage, eggs & cinnamon raison toast, Jason pulled her back up to the bedroom.

"About what you said earlier…" Jason started; looking up to her with a smirk as he held both of her wrists in his hands as he backed up towards the bed, knowing that she needed sleep.

"I thought we were dyin', Jason. Let's not go there," she responded as a blush flushed across her cheeks & she looked down at the floor. She felt his hand slide across her cheek, which seemed to be his sign of affection for her as he lifted her face so that his blue eyes could bore down into her lighter ones.

"That's what made it all the more important, Harls." He brought his lips down to kiss hers lightly while his other hand released her wrists & slid back around her waist, drawing her forward. She crushed to his chest, her hand lifting to cup the side of his neck while her other arm draped over his shoulder so that she could set her hand on the back of his head, her fingers curling into his hair. He pulled back slowly, smiling down at her. "Let's get you to bed; you look like you haven't slept in two nights."

"I haven't," Harley answered him as she moved to the bed with him. It was much larger than the one he had at his warehouse hideout, that she assumed she'd never see again.

He lifted his hand to brush some of the hair away from the side of her scalp, finding the gash that had leaked blood onto the floor of his old hideout. "Tim stitched you up nicely. Maybe I won't have to kill him," he said softly, setting her hair back down as he sat down on the bed & pulled her along with him so that she was next to him.

"Where did ya get this place?" Harley asked him as she moved behind him to lie down over the covers, placing her head gently on the pillow as she reached forward to run her hand over his hip slowly.

"I called in a few favors; this house belongs to a business associate of mine," he answered her, moving so that he could stretch out on the bed beside her. He rolled onto his side, & she followed suit to face him. He reached out to run his fingers through her long blonde hair that hung down over her shoulder, looking to it instead of looking into her eyes. She found solace in feeling his fingers moving against the strands of her bright locks, causing her eyes to close as she relaxed. She could feel his breath exhaling to fan across the nape of her neck, she could feel his forearm muscle tensing & flexing as his fingers worked through her hair.

"Thank you, for getting' me out." She opened her eyes to look at him, a soft smile teasing at the corners of her lips.

"Don't thank me, Harley. You wouldn't have left me to rot in that place," Jason said, his blue eyes returning to hers. She looked relaxed, open & human. He loved seeing her like that, it meant she trusted him. He leaned forward to push his forehead lightly against hers, cursing himself mentally for falling for her tricks. But the truth was he had fallen for them & he had fallen hard; there was beauty in the chaos that seemed to follow around Harley like a ghost. It excited him as he fell deeper & deeper. Though he'd never, ever admit that out loud, not to her & certainly not to anyone else. It was bad enough that the entire mental asylum had seen him breaking in to head right for her; he'd have a lot of denying to do.

He hadn't noticed during his revelry in her that her breathing had become soft & even & her eyes, those beautiful clear pools of blue, had slipped shut as she had fallen asleep. He gave a warm smile, lifting his head to press his lips to her forehead before he wrapped his arm around her waist & moved closer to her to hold her against his body. One day she'd know exactly how much she had healed his broken, fragmented heart. One day, he might let her in enough to know that he had fallen in love with her, too.

..::*::..

Red Hood had his Harley. Red Hood needed to die. Again. How many times did Joker have to kill the little brat before the message sank through? He was cranky, irritable & just plain malicious to his goons as he sulked around his hideout. He didn't miss the sounds of her crashing around; he certainly didn't miss the cackling the hyenas had given off. In fact, he seemed more relaxed than ever to not have her.

The problem was, of course, that she was his. & he wasn't going to let her walk off on her own. No, she would be his until he was done with her, & he wasn't done with her. It had taken him months to plan on how to break out of Arkham so he could find her & bring her back home. Months that had gone to waste because of Red Hood.

Joker made a face just at the mere mention of the name, even silent. His features distorted as he sat at a desk, looking over a map. He had crossed out places on the map inside the city limits of Gotham as he made his search, trying to find Jason. Had Jason really given up the chase for the Crowned Prince of Clowns? He cackled out loud to his thoughts, his goons shifting nearby uneasily.

No, no Jason wouldn't have given up his revenge scheme just so easily. If there was one thing the Joker knew all about, it was revenge. The boy had probably tucked tail & ran with the wounds blown to his ego delivered by Batman, who had chosen to protect Joker.

"Joker," a goon greeted as he stepped inside, bowing his head a bit. Joker looked up, his eyes wide & menacing, as clearly he had been in the middle of doing something & listening to his thoughts.

"This had better be good," he warned in a sing-song way, which caused the goon to swallow heavily.

"Red Robin captured Harley & Batman put her back into Arkham," the goon started, which caused Joker to grin.

"Oh, oh that is good!" He cackled, leaning back in his chair as he dropped the red marker. "It'll be easier to get her back if she's in Arkham. Good, we'll need to make plans now, boys!"

"There's more…" The goon said hesitantly, his eyes flicking down to the concrete at his feet.

"Oh? Go on…" Joker prompted him, leaning forward as he lifted his bony elbows to the desk, placing his pointed chin into his palms as he blinked to the goon with interest.

"Red Hood broke her out a few hours ago. They jumped off the cliffs & took off."

"They survived the fall?" Joker asked, incredulous. Those cliffs were dangerous, with sharp, pointed rocks jutting out of the ocean like the maw of an angry beast. "Impossible."

"There was a jet that caught them." The rage that exploded from Joker caused the goon to stumble backwards to dash out of the room before he caught the heavy end of that rage.

"FIND THEM!"


	9. Nothing Good Can Last

**A.N. - This chapter is definitely rated Mature Adults. So, skip it if you don't want to read something like that. ^.^;**

**_Chapter Eight - Nothing Good Can Last_**

When Harley woke up, Jason wasn't next to her anymore. She opened her eyes to see out the large windows that night had fallen, the sky was dark & bright all at the same time. She could actually see the stars, this serene location didn't writhe under the heavy blanket of smog Gotham seemed to choke on.

She slowly pulled herself to sit up on the edge of the bed before she stood & stretched before she ran her fingers through her hair to untangle any knots she might have acquired during her peaceful sleep. "Jason?" She squeaked, moving to walk down the steps. The hyenas slept by the door, protecting her. At least she liked to think so, she really knew that they were cowardly & would run off at the first sign of unexpected trouble, like they had when Red Robin dropped behind her to cart her off to Arkham. She rubbed at the side of her head slowly where she felt the stiff skin held together by stitches, frowning slightly.

She moved through the downstairs of the cabin, not seeing Jason anywhere. Her frown deepened as she felt her heart fall slightly, until she found the door to the basement. The sounds were alive coming from down there. "Jason?" She called down into the stairwell before she heard the unmistakable sounds of male grunting in exertion before they stilled, along with her heart.

"Harls? You're awake?" She heard him call back which set her heart into motion again as she descended the steps quickly & with happy bounces.

"I thought you left, what're ya doin' down here?" She asked as she finally bounced onto the carpeted floor of the finished basement. Jason came to her as soon as he saw her, putting one of his arms around her waist to greet her with a soft kiss. Oh, a girl could get used to that sort of attention.

"Getting my computer set back up," he answered her as he pulled back to look down at her. "It's almost done; want me to show you how to use it?" His head canted to the side as she glanced past him towards the mechanical masterpiece he had been working on for hours.

"Me & computers don't work well together. I tend to make them go ka-blooey!" She chirped happily, causing him to snicker lightly. He slipped his hand in hers & tugged her towards the machine.

"If I'm not here, you'll need to know how to detect a threat if the alarms go off. I have motion sensors set up all around the perimeter, & if something crosses them—"

"English," Harley interrupted him, watching him type in a few commands to bring up live feeds from all around the outside of the house.

"If someone comes near here, the alarms will go off. I won't let anyone take you from me again. Not without a fight," he responded to her, which caused her to look at the screen with more curiosity. "When the alarms sound, I want you to come straight down here & lock the door until I call for you. If I'm gone for more than twenty minutes, there's a door to the garage through that hallway," he pointed to a door in the far corner of the wall. "You get as far away from here as you possibly can."

"Ya look like you're ready for war, Jason," Harley said softly, looking to the side of his face. She saw his jaw set, saw the determination in his eyes as he watched the monitors closely. He sighed before he turned to her & set his hips back against the desk. He reached out to take her wrists in his hands & pulled her closer to him.

"Look, you might as well know," he started, running his thumbs over her flesh lightly, as if that would soften the blow. "Joker is looking for us. So is the Bat Club. Oracle is scanning the area, even now as we speak." He paused, reaching to cup her cheek in one of his palms. His thumb slid over the familiar flesh of her cheekbone. "The Robins, they want me in Blackgate, & you back in Arkham. I won't let that happen," he promised her, seeing how the fear flashed across her eyes.

"They want you there, because of me?" She guessed, & not entirely off the mark. The fact that he was going to suffer because of her influences caused her stomach to knot.

"No, they want me there because I broke into Arkham," he answered as he let go of her other wrist & wrapped his arm around her waist so he could tug her forward into his arms. "Don't worry about it, no one will find us here."

Jason pulled her face forward with his hand on her cheek & closed his eyes as his lips pressed to hers lightly. She closed her eyes also & moved forward to press her chest to his, she was painfully aware of how his hips flexed to press against hers, & how his breath hitched in his throat when he felt Harley's tongue smoothing over his bottom lip. His lips parted, & she slipped her tongue inside of his hot mouth, feeling his tongue immediately lift to slide against hers. One of her hands slipped inside his shirt to finally feel the hard muscled, warm & inviting flesh she had desired to touch since she had woken up in bed beside him… had it really been only three days ago? It felt like so, so much longer than that, this tension & desire had been building up inside of her for years it seemed.

Harley's other hand lifted to bury her fingers deep into his raven black hair, curling to grip at the locks tightly in her fist as his hand moved from her cheek to slide down her shoulder & bicep before he moved it over to her side so that he could take the hem of her red t-shirt & start to pull it up over her flesh. His heart beat erratically in his chest as he broke the kiss to look down, his other hand moving up to slide over her toned stomach as it became revealed. She helped him, pulling the t-shirt from her flesh so she could free it from her arms & toss it to the side. He groaned with desire as he felt the front of his jeans become noticeably tighter in the front, just from looking down at the perfect mounds of flesh her bright red bra concealed.

His eyes lifted back to hers as he moved forward again, his mouth hungry for her. She fell under his attack, her lips completely pliant as her body shivered while his hands began an expedition across her now exposed flesh. Jason felt like he was on the edge, staring down into the rough seas below. He could either smash into the rocks, or he would be saved by the sea to be swept up into its madness. Either way, he was going to drown in Harley. He was well aware of that, but he was involved now, in far too deep. He didn't know what he would do without her, without feeling her unmasked adoration for him.

Her hands tugged on his hair a bit tighter before it fell away to meet her other hand down at his waist, at the hem of his white t-shirt. Harley wanted to feel his hard muscles pressed against her flesh without anything in between them, & the only way to do that was to get his shirt up over her head. His lips pulled from hers briefly to let her tug the fabric away from his skin before his head dipped down again, his lips tasting the flesh of her neck. She gave him a soft moan to lace in with his heavy panting as she let her hands do some exploring of hardened flesh of their own. She memorized the way his muscles cut, every scar & every mar on his flesh was a landmark she remembered. She'd always remember it. She pushed forward even tighter to his chest & hips as her hands slipped down for his hips, teasing at the top of his pants. He gave a soft grunt against her flesh before his hands fell down to her thick thighs. He felt his way along them & to the back until he cupped her large, round backside & tugged her up off of her feet so that her arms moved to around his neck & her thick thighs wrapped around his waist.

"Good girl," he grinned against her lips before he began to carry her towards the black soft leather couch the finished basement had to offer. He set her down onto it on her back before he moved on top of her, pressing his thigh between her legs tightly so her hips wiggled against the muscle there. She moaned at the sensation as he put pressure against her, her hands reaching up for his shoulders to pull him down to her for more passionate, heated kisses. His tongue instantly pushed open her lips, swirling around her tongue to tease & tempt to follow his into his own mouth so he could catch it with his teeth & wrap his lips around to suck on softly. Another moan escaped her throat as her hips lifted from the couch against his thigh while her hands slid down his sides to the top of his jeans again. She slipped her fingers into the small space between fabric & skin, feeling the fabric of his boxer briefs under her fingers.

Harley's heart pounded in her chest, the only thing she could hear over their heavy breathing & soft moans of pleasure for each other was the blood rushing through her temples as her pulse drummed a rhythmic beat her hips tried to keep up with against his thigh. She could feel on her inner thigh the pressure his length made as it grew under her touch, at the sounds of her moans & the way her body felt under his. He gave her a heated moan as one of her hands slipped around the front of his pants to tease at his hardening length. "Harls…" He breathed into her lips as he finally relinquished control of her tongue back to her so that his lips could start to move across her flesh. Her back arched as his hand slid across her ribcage to her side & up her back, aiming for her spine so he could pull the fabric of her bra together to unhook the straps. She blushed as he leaned up so that he could slip his fingers slowly under the straps at her shoulders & pulled them down her arms slowly, savoring the way the cups slipped over her pale skin to reveal her breasts to him.

Harley looked up at him as he looked over her naked torso like a predator staring at a trapped bunny rabbit. Her cheeks flushed even more, but she moaned when she felt his hand gliding across the skin of her stomach, upwards until he cupped one of her full breasts in his hand, his thumb rolling over her nipple slowly to excite her flesh. She bit down on the corner of her lip as she looked down at his fingers as they slowly moved over her sensitive skin to tease her with his thumb & index finger. She felt the sharp pain mixed with sweet pleasure as she gave a soft yelp & arched her back while her hips moved down against his thigh even harder.

Jason felt his heart accelerate to pound in his ribcage as if it were trying to free itself as he saw & heard how she reacted to what he did to her. It was thrilling to see her so submissive under him, letting him have his way with her completely. His eyes darkened with lust as his other hand moved to take the place of his thigh, running his hand slowly up along the inside of her thigh up to its crest, feeling just how warm she had become between her legs from his actions as his hand pressed to the fabric of the shorts of his she had put on to sleep. She wiggled against him, lifting her body to his hand as she moaned from the friction he caused. He leaned his shoulder on the back of the couch as he contented himself, just for the moment, to watch her has his hands moved across her sensitive areas, seeing how her back bowed from the pleasure, how her hips wiggled & squirmed to get him to touch her more, & the way she bit down on the corner of her lip as her eyes closed & her head tilted back from the strain of her spine elongated. She looked so perfect like this, no wonder Joker kept her around.

Harley was having a hard time controlling herself as she felt his fingers pressing & prodding along the crotch of her shorts that pulled soft moans from her throat over & over again. She was getting really worked up. One of her hands lifted to grab at his wrist, pulling his hand down tighter against the skin of her breast as she looked up at him. She didn't want him to stop, or to do anything differently. He was taking his time on her, teasing her, & building the pleasure up slowly inside of her in the most excruciatingly pleasurable way she had ever felt. Her heart wouldn't slow down; she barely had enough time to breathe to keep up with the demand of oxygen her blood required.

She moaned his name, heatedly & louder than she had been before, which delightfully brought him to lean over her again. His hand left her chest so he could hold most of his weight off of her while his head dipped down to her chest so that he could roll his soft, wet tongue across her nipple slowly before he sucked the hard flesh into his mouth. His other hand left the apex of her thighs, but only for a second as he shoved his hand down the front of her shorts to start teasing her only through the small fabric of her black & red thong she was wearing. His need for her had outweighed his desire to watch her body reacting to his touch, which he showed her by exhaling against her perked nipple with a moan. Her hands fell back on his body, following the lines of his sides before she found the waistband of his jeans again. She wasted no time as her one hand delved inside to rub at his protruding length firmly under her palm & fingers. He sucked in a sharp inhale of breath as his sucks on her stopped & he looked up at her, his face unmistakably clouded in lust.

Jason pulled back from her onto his knees as lifted one of his hands to run through his dark hair to brush it off of his forehead before he reached down to slide his hands over her hips. His fingers slipped inside the lip of her shorts & the thin string that held her thong to her hips, teasing her for a moment as he grinned by lifting it from her skin. She lifted her hips from the couch for him & he dragged her shorts & panties down over her thick thighs, past her knees & off of her ankles before he tossed them to the side where their shirts laid, discarded. He looked down at the forbidden flesh he had just revealed & involuntarily groaned heavily before he looked back up at Harley, who was biting on her lip nervously. "What?" He asked in a concerned but heady voice, concerned to see that kind of reaction to him observing her.

"Nothin'," she responded with a flush to her cheeks. He could tell it was actually something, but now wasn't the time to push the matter. He moved down over her again & pushed his lips to hers again passionately to dispel any feelings of negativity she was feeling. She responded under him by arching her back, lifting her chest to press to his tightly. Her hands moved back down to the front of his pants to undo them quickly with deft fingers so she could push them, along with his black boxer briefs down over his hips. One of his hands fell from her skin to push them down so he could untangle his legs from them & toss them onto the floor beside the couch. Harley broke the kiss so that she could look down their bodies at the hardened length of flesh he had just uncovered. She bit down on her lip before her blue eyes snapped back up to his, another flush warming her face.

"You're gorgeous," Jason whispered to her, showing her a bit of affection by placing his temple to her cheek & giving her a soft nuzzle. "You know we don't have to do this, right?"

"No, I want to," Harley whispered back to him as she reached up to draw his face back down to her. She closed her eyes as he started to kiss & bite along her neck slowly, teasing the skin softly as he ground his bare hips into hers tightly, hearing how she moaned for him & felt how wet her skin was between her thighs, waiting for him. But he wasn't ready just yet.

Harley had never felt someone paying so much attention to her body for both of their pleasure, not just his own. Her hairs all stood on end as she mentally followed every caress of his strong hands across the flesh of her sides & stomach, every kiss on her neck, every bite & suck sending electricity bolting through her bloodstream. She was on fire as she writhed in pleasure under him, & he was doing nothing to quench her desire, only teased her by making her feel like she was going to combust at any second. "Please, Jason…" she begged him, unable to handle his teasing any longer. His hand slipped between their bodies to take hold of the base of his shaft as he prodded against her wet flesh, feeling it giving way under the pressure he was building. Finally he breached her muscles & slid inside of her slowly, inch by devastating inch. She gave a short cry as she felt her muscles stretching to accommodate his length & girth, lifting her hips from the couch to help drive him forward until their hips crushed together.

Jason gave his own heated moan as he felt her body comply under his torturous motions as his hips started to move, driving himself deep inside of her before pulling back. Her back arched drastically as she gave another heated, heady moan. "Don't stop," she moaned to him as her hands slipped around his back to grip at his skin tightly, urging his hips to move even faster & harder. He could feel how her muscles tensed around his driving member, causing him to groan again. His breathing picked up as his heart raced for her. He pulled away from her neck so he could look down at her body moving under his, his hard & fast thrusts causing her breasts to bounce. He reached up to grab one as she gave a cry.

He kept going, kept assaulting her for what felt like hours with his throbbing length, wanting to find release. But he wouldn't. He bit down on his lower lip to hold his climax off, wanting her to experience hers first. "Good girl," he praised her as she continued to writhe under him as her breathing became nothing more than heavy pants between cries & moans. "You're mine," he growled heatedly as his thrusts became more primitive. He pulled back from her to grip at her thick thighs, drawing her legs up over his shoulders as he leaned down to thrust deeper inside of her. He looked down at her body so he could watch the sweat erupt across her body in a thin sheen as she struggled for air in the heated passion of their bodies entwined. He could feel her muscles quivering around him, could feel what her body felt as it prepared. "That's it, good girl, cum for me," he groaned heavily as he felt her ass bouncing off of his hips from his quick speed, the sounds of their flesh slapping together filling the room already heavy with their moans & hot breaths of pleasure.

At his command, she felt her body begin to tense up tightly. Harley gave a strangled cry just as his hand came up to put pressure on her throat. Her eyes rolled back as her back bowed while her neck arched to tilt her head backwards. "Jason!" She cried, just as her muscles instantaneously relaxed & she was flooded with pleasure rolling through her blood to flow across every part of her. She writhed underneath him, as she felt wave after wave of the potent euphoria driving through her system.

To feel her muscles tightening around his length like that wasn't something Jason had been prepared for. He couldn't help it, he gave a loud moan as he gave a final hard, deep thrust inside of her & let his load unleash upon her. She writhed even harder as she felt him throbbing & twitching inside of her, prolonging the pleasure of her climax as he came with her. Finally he collapsed on top of her still-twitching body, lowering kisses to her throat & jaw.

Harley grinned, running her nails softly down his back as they both bathed in the afterglow. "Jason, that was…" she trailed off as she closed her eyes to focus on calming her racing heart.

"Oh, Harls, I'm not done yet," Jason said with a grin before he grabbed for her again.

..::*::..

On the soft glow of monitors, Harley could see that the sun had showed its magnificent face in the autumn morning on the security cameras after Jason had finally slated his lust for her. She was sore, bruised from where Jason held her too tightly, & still shaking from the effort, but she had never been more satisfied. The pads of her fingertips explored his body as he slept on top of her, slowly rubbing away his tension in his sleep. His weight crushed her, but she found it welcome & comforting, his body keeping her warm in the subterranean level of the cabin.

She could hear his even breathing, which relaxed her, but she couldn't fall asleep. How long could they in here, hiding from the world that would drive them apart & keep them from each other? Both of their lives were in danger, & it was her fault. She frowned as the realization dawned, if he was to be caught by his brethren, they would throw him in Blackgate like a common criminal. She knew he wasn't, she knew he wasn't a monster. Not like she was. She had killed for no reason other than she had been coerced into it by Joker. How could anyone blame her for listening to him, for being tricked by him as so many others had been?

Apparently that didn't matter, apparently what did was that she had done the crime & she was expected to do the time, locked away in Arkham Asylum with the key thrown away. She couldn't survive in there anymore; she didn't have it in her. Slowly she pulled herself out from under Jason to keep from waking him too much before she gathered her clothes to tug them on so she could go over to the computer he had wanted her to learn. She looked over the monitors carefully, protecting him for once. It felt good, to watch out for him as he had done for her. She felt the pride as she looked over her shoulder at his sleeping, naked form. As she had left, he had rolled over onto his side, his arm draped across the empty expanse of couch where her body should be, could be. She really should just go back to sleep with him.

That's when the alarms started to clang on the computer in front of her. She narrowed her eyes as her hands went to her ears. Jason was up like a shot, moving over to her. "What did you touch?!" He shouted to her, looking down at her angrily before his eyes started to scan the monitors & he typed in a few passwords to silence the screaming mechanical wonder.

"I didn't touch anythin', I swear!" She yelled back, getting out of his way as he started to scan the computers systems.

"Someone's in the backyard. Stay here," he commanded as he grabbed his jeans from the floor & pulled them on, not bothering to grab for his boxer briefs. He moved back to the computer to open a drawer & pulled out a handgun, checking to make sure it was loaded before he popped the hammer.

"Oh yeah, that went so well last time, Birdie Boy," Harley countered, glaring at him as she remembered what it had felt like to fall under the hand of Red Robin. Instinctively, she reached up to rub her head where she had to be stitched up in her unconscious state.

"Don't fight with me, Harley," Jason growled before he climbed the steps upstairs. After a few more seconds of tense listening, she heard the back door open & close with a bang. She turned her attention back to the monitor, watching him crossing the backyard with his gun aimed at the tree line.

Her teeth worried at her bottom lip as she watched him walk out of frame on the security camera, stepping into the woods.

..::*::..

The sun beat down through the trees in the early afternoon light, causing rays of light to pierce through the foliage of the trees that had yet to start to turn the beautiful kaleidoscope of colors fall offered the New Jersey wildlife. The animals, except a bird here & there, were silent.

At first, Jason didn't see anything as his hand kept the gun steady, sweeping it along his line of vision as he searched. His bare feet made moving through the woods as silent as a ghost. But he didn't need to. No one was here.

Not that he could see, anyway. But he kept moving, his top priority had been to keep Harley safe. He had failed her once before, he wouldn't fail her again. That's when he saw, pierced into the trunk of a tree with a bloodied knife, a note.

He scowled & dropped his gun, walking towards it before he ripped it down without removing the knife. The note chilled his blood, & caused him to grit his teeth. He crumpled it in his fist before he threw it to the ground to start his trek back for the cabin. How had they been found? How had they escaped? Not everything that was as good as being with Harley could ever last; he was starting to realize that now. & now, he had a decision to make as the words of the note haunted him completely.

"_Bring me Harley, & I'll give you Joker._

_?_"


	10. A Business Meeting

_**Chapter Nine - A Business Meeting**_

Their search, so far, had been fruitless. Nightwing, Red Robin & Robin scoured the dirty streets of Gotham, looking high & low for their brother & Harley Quinn. But no matter where they looked, there were no sign of either of them.

The three of them arrived at the Batcave at the appointed time to go over strategy & check in at the end of the night. Damian flopped with exhaustion down to the floor. "All of the warehouses are abandoned; he's not in one of them." He said, looking up at the two older men.

Nightwing pulled the mask from his eyes as he gave an exhale of breath that puffed out in exasperation. "He's not in any of the abandoned buildings, I checked every last one of them."

"The sewers are clean. Well, as clean as they can be." Red Robin made a face before he slouched down into a chair & put his face in his hands as his elbows rested on his knees.

"Who are you looking for, boys?" A purring voice from the entrance of the Batcave by the waterfall that concealed it from public view took the attention off of the floor all they were all studying. The three Wayne boys snapped their heads up to see Catwoman, hiding behind her goggles & under the black leather of her costume. Nightwing was the only one who rolled his eyes; the other two looked up at Catwoman with a slight amount of awe.

"Jason & Harley," Damian answered, which got him a slap to the back of the skull by Nightwing. "What!? It's true! We don't know where they are…"

Catwoman flipped down to where they were, smiling that crooked looking grin of hers. "I do," she revealed, her eyes flicking back between the three of them under the goggles. "They're not in the city. Is Bruce home?"

"What do you mean, 'they're not in the city'? If they're not in the city, then where are they?" Nightwing asked, ignoring her inquiry as to the whereabouts of Bruce Wayne. Truth was, none of them could really tell her. He was still busy locking up the assorted criminals who had escaped.

"I don't know where, exactly, but Riddler & Joker had found them. They're going to trick Jason into giving up Harley in trade for Joker, and then Joker's going to kill both of them." Selina looked calm, even though Harley was supposed to be a friend to her. She had been glad to find out that Harley had finally ditched Joker, but her new affection had been giving Bruce a lot of problems. Selina couldn't stand for that. The blonde haired gymnast had signed her own fate, as far as Selina Kyle was concerned.

"What?! We have to stop them!" Damian shouted as he jumped up from the floor. Tim also climbed to his feet in uncertainty. He looked to Dick, who gave a short nod.

"Damian's right, we can't let Joker kill either of them. We're sworn to protect them," Dick reminded Tim, who reluctantly nodded his head.

"So, it Bruce home or not?"

..::*::..

Jason finally returned, ignoring the barrage of questions Harley flung his way. He moved past her to head upstairs for the bedroom, collapsing onto the bed. Somehow, even with her nagging & incessant hands pushing at his bare shoulders to divulge in his secrets, he had fallen asleep.

It stung Harley. She finally got off the bed with a huff & headed for the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. She grumbled as she shrugged her clothes off & began to fill the large bathtub, filling the clear liquid with some body wash she had found sitting in wait by the basin, causing lavender scented bubbles to rise to the surface under the chaotic flow of water from the golden tap. Once it was filled almost to the brim, she turned off the water & climbed into the hot water. It stung her skin, especially around her backside where the bruises were deeper from Jason grabbing & slapping at her flesh. But she made no noise as she slipped into the water & hid behind the wall of bubbles to try to relax & steady her heart from trying to break. She couldn't let it.

It wasn't long before she heard the bathroom door open & close. She didn't open her eyes, she didn't want to look up to see Jason, feel his rejection stinging her again. A few moments passed, before there was a disturbance in the water. She felt his naked body sliding slowly up her legs as he placed his hands on either side of her hips. She opened her eyes to look at him just as his lips met hers in a soft kiss. She closed her eyes quickly to mask the roll that was there before she lifted her arms to wrap around his neck & pulled him down to feel his weight on her chest.

There didn't need to be any words as he slowly pulled away from her to start kissing along her neck slowly, his hands never getting enough of her skin in his grip. He knew that anything he had to say at this point would only push her away from him. He couldn't afford that. Not with what The Riddler had offered. & so plainly, too. No confusing riddles, no annoying lyrical cryptograph. Just a plain command, Harley for Joker. Jason didn't care what Riddler wanted with Harley, his bloodlust for Joker made it an offer he simply couldn't refuse.

The thought that it was a trap never entered his mind, & he let Harley soothe his conscious by parting her thighs for him in the water so he could slide inside of her again. He was slow & gentle, his hot mouth trailing along her skin as he made love to her. Because he did love Harley, he was sure of that. & this might be the last time he had to show her that.

..::*::..

"Is everything ready?" Joker giggled as he finished up setting the final touches of the dummy that was meant to emulate him in the shaft of light of the empty warehouse, slumped over in the chair he was fettered to. It was quite the illusion, almost a perfect match for Joker. He was proud of his work.

"Does a rocking horse have a wooden—never mind. Yes, yes my Clown Prince, everything is ready." Riddler skipped out into view of the otherwise pitch black warehouse, twirling his staff expertly in his hands before striking it down to the cement with a clang. "Do you think he'll buy it?"

"If there's one thing I know, it's how stupid those Bird Brains can be," Joker assured Riddler. "It could be a scarecrow in a purple suit for all he would care."

"Good! Good!" Riddle exclaimed as he moved away from the dummy & back into the darkness of the warehouse. "& just in case things don't go as planned, I have a safety!"

"Oh?" Joker wondered aloud, following after Riddler in the dim light. Riddler held up a detonator in his hand & lifted his finger to point at the red button.

"Everything goes KA-BOOM!"

"I like ka-boom…" Joker said with a wicked grin before he scampered off to the corner to wait for Jason Todd to bring him back his Harley, & to walk right into the trap he had carefully laid.

..::*::..

"Get dressed; we have to go to Gotham. I have a business meeting & I don't want to leave you alone," Jason commanded Harley after he helped her dry off from their bath.

"What should I wear?"

"Your costume," Jason told her before he moved over to take her chin in his fingers & pulled her tightly to him so he could kiss her lips passionately before he let her go.

She moved to follow his command, pulling on the leather of her costume as quickly as she could with Jason's prompting. "I'm going, I'm going," she muttered after she finally set the corset around her chest.

Finally she was dressed, & he pulled on his helmet. She gave a brief goodbye to the hyenas, promising them fresh meat when she returned later, causing Jason to feel a stab in his heart. He couldn't do this to her. He watched her petting Lou, who turned to look at Jason as if the hyena knew what he was about to do. He opened his mouth to tell her to stop, that they weren't going, but he heard the laughter of Joker ringing in his psyche. He couldn't let this chance go. He grabbed Harley's bicep & tugged her to him so that he could pull her out of the door.

"Hey, c'mon! What's the rush?" Harley grumbled as he forced her down the porch stairs.

"I don't like to be late," Jason said coldly, & Harley felt another painful jab to her stomach. Why was he being like this to her?

He finally got Harley to get on the back of his motorcycle so he could rev it up after turning the key in the ignition & then turned away from the cabin to race towards Gotham.

He hated how elated Harley sounded in his ear as she enjoyed the high speed, her arms wrapped tightly around his waist & her lips next to his neck. He could feel her heated breath over the cold wind that snapped at them from the high speeds they were traveling, as if the weather itself was telling him to turn back, to not do this to Harley.

His jaw set as he pushed the motorcycle on faster & faster.

..::*::..

Finally the motorcycle pulled up in front of the abandoned warehouse, & Jason killed the motor so that he could climb off after Harley. He grabbed her bicep roughly again & pulled her towards the warehouse. "Jason…?" Harley asked in a shrill voice, she could tell something wasn't right. He didn't answer her, instead tugged her into the darkened warehouse. Towards the back, he could see the shaft of light, so he headed in the dark for it.

Finally the figure of Joker loomed up in the chair; Jason could make out the green hair, the purple suit & the red that splattered the front of his shirt & jacket. Behind his helmet, Jason grinned before he threw Harley forward towards the chair.

Harley yelped as she hit the ground heavily on her knees before she began to scuttle backwards for where Jason was. "What are ya doin'?!" She demanded, but she saw Riddler come up from the darkness behind the still form of Joker. "That ain't Joker, you've been tricked!" Harley hissed. She'd know Joker anywhere, the arms were too bulky & the legs were proportioned all wrong.

"Shut up," Jason hissed to her as he watched Riddler approach.

"Oh, it's him alright. From the tippy tippy tip toes to this magnificent green head of hair. I'm glad you considered my offer. Harley for Joker." Riddler laughed before he moved, quickly, to grab for Harley. "He's all yours!" Riddler called before he started to drag Harley backwards in his arms.

"You betrayed me!?" Harley screeched as she started to struggle in the arms that held her fast like vices. Edward's hands held her tight, his bony fingers prodding into her flesh as his grip tightened even more. "You did this to me!"

That's when the fourth voice rung out, causing Jason's heart to fall. "You can't blame him, Chickpea. He never wanted you; he's always been after me. Come here; let me protect you from the Big, Bad Hood." Joker grinned & Jason's stomach lurched forward as he did, reaching for the mannequin in the chair. The head flopped back to reveal the dead eyes of the dummy. He had been duped, tricked. He should have seen this coming.

"Harls!" He shouted out, but there was a loud bang in the back & the sound of an engine roaring to life. No! Jason's legs pumped to bring him towards the back of the warehouse where he had heard the noises; he had to get to her. That was around the time that the warehouse exploded, sending Jason flying into the harsh concrete wall from the blast. He dropped to the ground as the inferno began to rage behind him, getting closer & closer. He found the back door that Joker & Riddler must have escaped through & cursed heavily to find it locked.

Luckily his helmet had a filtration system filtering air, smoke inhalation wouldn't be a problem, he reasoned. Then again, what would that help if he was roasted alive? The only exit he could discern was the one he had entered through with Harley, behind a wall of angry, ripping flames that licked at everything it could to set fire. He heard another small explosion before the skylight ripped through. He looked up to see Nightwing swinging inside on his grappling hooks. Jason silently cursed, why hadn't he thought to bring his own? Because he trusted Riddler, trusted him to hold up his end of the bargain. Now Joker had Harley & she would never, ever trust him again. His jaw set as he looked to Dick. "Need a hand?" Dick asked, holding his hand out to his brother. Jason nodded before he took the extended hand & Dick zipped them up through the warehouse the way he had exploded inside, landed them safely on the roof.

..::*::..

Jason stood outside of the warehouse, looking at the charred remains of his bike. He grit his teeth before he looked over at Dick. "I need help," he admitted, looking back down to the bike.

"I know." Dick nodded in agreement before he reached for Jason again. Jason heard the click of handcuffs, & jumped backwards, his hands going immediately behind his back. "Come on, Jason. You know you need to be locked away."

"I think I've had enough betrayal from one night & from my brothers in a lifetime," Jason spat at Dick, who frowned. Jason shook his head & turned. "Dick, I swear to anything that will listen, if you follow me or get in my way of getting Harley back, I'll fucking kill you," he said over his shoulder. Dick paused, hearing the ferocity in Jason's voice.

"She's no good for you, Jason."

Jason sighed & stopped, turning to face Dick from five yards away, the billowing smoke rising up out of the warehouse as the flames began to try to consume the bricks. "I wish you all would stop telling me what was good for me. None of you know. So go, go back to your own life. Leave me to mine. Until you feel what Harley makes me feel, don't fucking tell me whether she's good or not," he growled before he ran off into the night, leaving Dick standing alone by the explosion.

..::*::..

"This most certainly is not good news," Batman rumbled as he looked to Dick while the flames finally died down in the warehouse that had lost its' roof, from a light rain that had appeared to soak Dick through, making his teeth chatter slightly. Not that he would ever show weakness in front of his mentor.

"Selina said that Joker planned to kill both of them, I'm assuming the explosion was meant for Jason. That means…"

"Harley is in danger. Let's find them, & quickly, before Jason does & they slip through our grasp again."

..::*::..

"There, there, Pumpkin," Joker soothed Harley as he brought her into his hideout, his bony arm wrapped around her shoulders tightly as he guided her. His hand waved dramatically as the goons snapped to attention around, greeting their Hench Wench. "You know it wouldn't have worked out," Joker continued, lifting his free hand to run his gnarled, bony fingers slowly down her cheek where some tear trails remained. "I'm willing to overlook this whole thing, as long as you promise never to run away again," he finished, reaching up to ruffle her hair in a show of affection so rarely shown by the twisted maniac. But he knew he had to keep Harley this time, at least until he found the perfect time to kill her, so he had to give her some of the things she wanted.

Harley managed to keep the wince off of her face as she turned away from him, looking to her goons. "Come on, Harls, cheer up. I got a special party planned, just for you," he sang slightly as he spoke to her, trying to lift her out of her dark, depressive mood. He placed his finger on her nose with a light amount of pressure before he pulled away to lead her into the warehouse, showing her the room he had designated for her. Most of her things from his old hideout had been moved, including some things from her own apartment. She didn't question how he had gotten it. Next to the bed on the nightstand was the picture of him that Jason had crushed, displayed in a new frame. "You're also going to need to change. You know I hate anyone looking at what's mine. Your old costume is in the closet for you, muffin. Don't keep me waiting long." His last words were a warning, but Harley could barely process anything, so the target missed. Instead she moved to the bed to flop down on it, curling up instantly into the fetal position with her back to the door.

Joker's brows furrowed as he watched her, knowing how out of sorts she was. His fists clenched at his hips before he crossed over the room to her, grabbing her roughly by the arm to yank her out of the bed. She didn't fight as she stumbled out of the bed, standing up to look away from him. "Snap out of it!" Joker howled, his white gloved hand reaching back to deliver a blow across her cheek with the back of his hand. She was numb, she didn't play his game. She didn't cry out like she once had, she didn't try to struggle or pull away. Her head snapped to the side with the force, & silent tears slipped down her face, but otherwise she remained the same. Joker got even more enraged at seeing her just standing there, taking his abuse. But she had always taken his abuse, just never like this. The woman standing before him looked broken. He shoved her away from him & turned on his heel with a sneer. "Just… do something, Harley," he growled, not even knowing what he was trying to say before he slammed the door to her bedroom.


	11. Desolation

**_Chapter Ten - Desolation_**

Jason finally made it back to the cabin he & Harley had been staying at, parking the motorcycle he had stolen off of the street in the dirt driveway. He had thought that by turning Harley over in exchange for Joker would make him feel different. But he had been set up, & now Joker had Harley. His conscience nagged at him, snapped at him, & broke him down completely. How could he have done that? Slowly he trudged up the steps to the porch to open the front door. At first he heard the excited noises of her hyenas rushing to greet him, their bodies swaying with the motions their tails had taken to happily greet him.

But they saw him. It was like they could smell the guilt on him. Bud stopped & backed away slowly as his ears lowered along with his head. Lou bared his teeth as he took an aggressive stance. "I know," Jason muttered, sighing heavily as he made his feet somehow move up the steps towards the bedroom after tossing some large slabs of meat for the hyenas. They both sniffed at the offered meat before they backed away from it, still watching Jason's retreat warily.

How could he have been so stupid? His jaw set as he went straight for the bed, tossing his helmet to the side carelessly to let it crash & bounce on the hardwood floors, the noise echoing throughout the empty house. They had been happy here, he & Harley. In the brief span of time they had been here, anyway. He had known what it was like to feel completely at peace, to understand what it felt like to be truly loved. Harley would kill for him, would give her life for him. He knew that. It was more than Bruce would ever do for him; he had proved that time & time again. & Jason had fucked it up carelessly with only revenge heavy on his mind. He threw away the one thing that had mattered.

To feel her in bed next to him again, to just turn back the hands of time, to never have taken the bait that he walked right into blindly, handing over the one woman who had offered him everything he ever wanted. Some detective he made. He let his revenge & hatred for Joker cloud his vision, causing him to make the worst judgment call he had ever made.

His hand moved to his face so he could drag it down slowly as he stared at the ceiling of the log cabin. He could still feel her presence; her clothes were still lying on the floor of the bathroom. The closet had her costume, the drawers held her clothes the way he had carefully folded them to put away for her before he went to break her out of Arkham. Her mutts were still downstairs, he could hear them pacing & walking around uneasily. He had thrown everything away to rush into Arkham to save her, & he in turn handed her over to the person she had grown to fear the most.

Jason couldn't sleep as he tossed & turned, hearing her voice echoing in his head as they fell from the cliffs of Arkham. "I love you." She did love him, he knew it. In her own twisted little way, he could tell that her devotion was real. Now she'd never tell him that again.

He was so devastated by the consequences of his own actions that he never heard the alarm downstairs going off, or the garage door being broken open.

..::*::..

Harley curled up on the bed, hugging the pillow Joker had gotten her tight to her chest. It was too hard, not nearly soft & plush enough for her to ever be able to sleep on. But it was good to hold on to. She cried so much, that she had no tears left yet still she cried.

She had to forget about Jason Todd. He betrayed her, had thrown her to the wolves. She had known it was too good to last all along. Still, her heart had broken into a thousand pieces & every jagged edge cut into her deeper & deeper the longer she dwelt on it.

She was angry, but not at Jason. Jason had done what she had expected Jason to do from the beginning. She was angry at herself from falling for it. She shook with silent sobs, causing the tears to flow anew. A knock sounded at the door & she looked up to see a goon enter, looking over her in her distressed state. "The Boss wants me to make sure you're ready for the party," he said apologetically before he moved over to the small closet in the room & opened the door to tug out her old costume. He spun the hanger in his hand & set the zipper between his fingers so he could draw down the back of the outfit for her.

"I ain't goin' to no stupid party," Harley shouted, which caused him to wince as he hung the costume on the back of the closet door before he moved over to grab her.

"Sorry, Harley, but I'm not dying because you refuse to play nice," he said sternly before he shoved her towards the closet. "Now get dressed, unless you'd rather have me do it for you. I'd love to." He grinned, showing a gaping maw of missing teeth, the rest that remained were blackened from neglect.

"Like it matters!" She shouted to him again before she plucked the costume from the door to go into the closet & shut the door so she could undress in the dark. Anywhere was better than the prying eyes of that goon. She pulled off her leather, knowing that Joker would have it destroyed the second it left her sight. She didn't care anymore, nothing was worth caring about. She had learned what happened when you truly cared about someone, & she hadn't been satisfied with the results.

Harley finally stepped out of the closet, dressed in her old one-piece, form fitting black & red costume with the white frills around her neck & wrists, black pointed shoes capping off the outfit. The goon pointed to the dresser where her hood sat & she moved over to tug it on to conceal her blonde hair under the two floppy points of the jester's hat. The points seemed match her mood as they, too, flopped down towards her neck more than they usually did. She fixed her face paint where it had smeared before she moved to the door & let him grab her roughly before he shoved her out of the room.

"There she is!" She heard the delighted cackle of the Joker as he saw her emerging from her room. "We were starting to get worried, Harls. You know I said to not keep me waiting," his voice held a sharp undertone, but she didn't seem to react to it at all.

"I'm here now," she huffed, keeping her swollen & red eyes downcast as he looked over her. He got up out of the arm chair he was in & moved to her, sliding his hand over her hip. She flinched, but didn't move.

"You look much better like that, Harley. You look like my Hench Wench again. I have a surprise for you," he grinned as he spoke into her ear. She kept her eyes averted; she hadn't wanted Joker to see she had been crying. He pulled away from her & snapped his fingers so that a few goons moved forward to grab Harley, pulling her from the lair. She didn't flinch & she didn't struggle, but merely let them move her along until they were out of the lair & Joker was shoving her into a car.

He got in next to her, the goons piling into the back & in cars behind Joker's own purple & green Cadillac. "Like the good ol' days, huh Harls?" He said as he leaned back into the white leather of the interior & set his arm across the backseat as he pulled the car out from in front of the lair. "You'll like your surprise, I promise."

..::*::..

It wouldn't be long before the procession of cars pulled up out front of an abandoned building, a few other cars parked along out front. "I told you it was a party," Joker grinned his maniac grin before he leaned across Harley to push open her door so that two of the goons from the back seat could get out & grab her, hauling her to her feet & bringing her for the building.

It took her a few moments to register anything in the darkness as her eyes adjusted. The goons started to drag her forward again as she looked around at the emptiness. Was he going to kill her? She couldn't find it in her to care, however the fear finally spiked through her system with the adrenaline & she began to struggle against the goons. "Now, now, Harls, there's the fighting girl I love!" Joker cackled behind her as she was dragged up a flight of stairs. She didn't scream, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction, but she cursed & tried to pull her limbs away from the goons. They finally brought her into a room that had a lone light bulb illuminating the dingy interior. Her skin crawled at the sight as her heart started to thud louder in her chest.

Tied to a chair, bound, gagged & bloodied, was Jason Todd. & it didn't look like he was breathing.


	12. Coming Soon - The Epic Conclusion!

**A/N:  
**I've been shocked to see so many positive reviews & followers for the story. I honestly have spent almost a year wondering how this story will end, but, I think it's time to give these two the ending they deserve. The new chapter should be posted within the next day or two. Stay tuned.  
Mwahahahahahahaha!


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